The President’s Defense and Agreement
In an unusual political move, President Donald Trump publicly defended his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, on Tuesday, following the publication of her startlingly candid interviews in Vanity Fair. Wiles’s comments, which offered an unvarnished view of the second Trump term, included a description of the President as having an “alcoholic’s personality,” despite his lifelong abstinence from drinking.
The President told The New York Post that he was not offended by the description and affirmed Wiles’s assessment:
“No, she meant that I’m — you see, I don’t drink alcohol… but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive and addictive type personality.”
Trump praised Wiles’ performance, stating she has done a “fantastic job,” but dismissed the Vanity Fair article itself, claiming the facts were “wrong” and it was the result of a “very misguided interviewer, purposely misguided.”
The Coordinated White House Response
The White House executed a swift and coordinated defense of Wiles, who is known as a careful operator who shuns the spotlight.
- Cabinet Solidarity: Nearly all of the President’s Cabinet quickly issued statements of support for the Chief of Staff, showcasing administrative unity. Those who publicly defended Wiles included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
- Official Narrative: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the interview as an attempt at “fake news” during an appearance on Fox News:
“This was, unfortunately, another attempt at fake news by a reporter who was acting disingenuously and really did take the chief’s words out of context… The reporter omitted all of the positive things that Susie and our team said about the president and the inner workings of the White House.”
- Wiles’ Own Pushback: Wiles herself issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) calling the article a “disingenuously framed hit piece” that disregarded significant context, while stopping short of denying the quotes attributed to her.
