Today's News: White House Rallies Around Chief of Staff Susie Wiles After Candid Vanity Fair Interview

Following the publication of the articles, Wiles publicly denounced them as a “disingenuously framed hit piece” lacking context, though she did not deny the authenticity of her quotes.

Terrence Dorsey

Dec 16, 2025

Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post

Date: December 16, 2025
Summary: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles participated in 11 unguarded interviews with Chris Whipple for Vanity Fair, revealing critical assessments of President Trump’s personality, top administration officials, and policy decisions. Wiles described Trump as having an “alcoholic’s personality,” criticized Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and detailed policy disagreements. Following the publication of the articles, Wiles publicly denounced them as a “disingenuously framed hit piece” lacking context, though she did not deny the authenticity of her quotes. President Trump and other cabinet members rallied to her defense, largely praising her loyalty and effectiveness while downplaying or refuting the critical remarks.

Sources

Key Points

All articles report on Susie Wiles’ candid interviews with Vanity Fair, where she offered unfiltered assessments of the Trump administration.

A central theme is Wiles’ description of President Trump as having an “alcoholic’s personality” due to his “possessive and addictive type personality” and unwavering belief in his capabilities.
The interviews also included criticisms of several key figures:
- Vice President JD Vance, whom Wiles called a “conspiracy theorist”
- Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files Wiles deemed a “whiff”
- Budget Director Russell T. Vought, described as a “right-wing absolute zealot”
- Elon Musk, characterized as an “odd, odd duck” with a chaotic approach to federal agencies
Wiles revealed her attempts to restrain Trump on various policies, including Jan. 6 pardons, tariffs, and his campaign of “score settling” against political enemies. She also clarified the administration’s Venezuela strategy, indicating regime change as the real goal through military action, and disputed President Trump’s claims regarding Bill Clinton’s association with Jeffrey Epstein.
Across all sources, Wiles, President Trump, and other administration officials publicly defended her following the articles’ publication, often claiming a lack of context or a “hit piece” narrative, while generally not denying the authenticity of her quotes.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times details Wiles’ comparison of President Trump to her father, Pat Summerall, an alcoholic and absentee parent, which she said made her “a little bit of an expert in big personalities.” It also highlights the quiet rivalry between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for Trump’s 2028 successor nod, noting Vance’s joke to the Vanity Fair photographer about making Rubio look worse than him.
CNN reports Wiles’ comments on Signalgate and the administration’s handling of Ghislaine Maxwell. It also states Wiles’ fears that the Epstein files could cost the Republican Party new Trump coalition voters, such as “Joe Rogan listeners,” and her concern that Trump is too focused on foreign policy rather than affordability, despite her prediction of winning the midterms.
NBC News reports Wiles’ confidence that President Trump will not run for a third term, citing the 22nd Amendment and his own statements to her. It also covers her dismissal of claims that Trump was falling asleep in Cabinet meetings, stating, “He’s not asleep. He’s got his eyes closed and his head leaned back … and, you know, he’s fine.” This article also notes that Wiles had a live feed of Trump’s Truth Social posts playing on a freestanding video monitor in her office.
The Washington Post reveals that Wiles and her staff were caught by surprise, believing her conversations with Chris Whipple were for a book and not expecting extensive quotes or long articles, despite Vanity Fair stating the conversations were on the record. This article also mentions Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s suggestion to interview Ghislaine Maxwell and Wiles’ claim that neither she nor Trump was consulted about Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison camp.
The Wall Street Journal mentions Wiles’ reflections on her own tenure, stating “this is what I do if I stay four years” regarding her chief of staff role. It also reports Wiles’ view that Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants the whole country” of Ukraine, not just a part.
Fox News quotes Secretary of War Pete Hegseth calling the piece a “playbook from the left to ‘trash & smear our best & most effective people’” and praising Wiles as “the most TRUSTED, most PROFESSIONAL & most EFFECTIVE Chief of Staff of my lifetime.” It also includes comments from United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, praising Wiles’ integrity, dedication, and effectiveness, and challenging Vanity Fair’s portrayal of the administration.

Contrasting Details

Wiles’ understanding of the interviews’ purpose: The Washington Post states that Wiles and her staff were surprised by the extensive articles and quotes, believing her conversations with Chris Whipple were for a book, despite Vanity Fair affirming the conversations were on the record. Other articles, such as The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News, describe the interviews as being for Vanity Fair articles, without mentioning Wiles’ reported misunderstanding.
Wiles’ denial of Elon Musk drug use quote: The New York Times and NBC News report that Wiles denied making the statement about Elon Musk being an “avowed ketamine user” to The New York Times, but Vanity Fair played an audio recording to The New York Times confirming her comment. Other sources like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News quote Wiles making the statement without reference to her denial or the audio confirmation.
Congressional approval for Venezuela land strikes: CNN and The Wall Street Journal quote Wiles stating that President Trump would need congressional approval for “land strikes” in Venezuela. However, CNN also notes that Trump previously said, “We don’t have to get their approval. But I think letting them know is good,” which differs from Wiles’ assessment of the legal necessity for such actions. NBC News quotes Wiles saying congressional approval is “not needed yet” for sea attacks but would be for mainland actions.

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