Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that President Trump displays an "alcoholic's personality," describing his amplified, "big" persona and an unshakeable belief he can do anything. Wiles — who shared that her father recovered from alcoholism — stressed that Trump himself never drinks. She also commented on the release of the Epstein files, praised aides like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, criticized Pam Bondi's handling of related documents, and later called the profile a "hit piece" on X while defending the administration's record.
Susie Wiles Says Trump Has an "Alcoholic's Personality" — Though He Never Drinks
Evan Vucci/AP; Anna Moneymaker/GettySusie Wiles (L) and President Donald Trump (R)
Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump's chief of staff, told Vanity Fair that the president displays what she described as an "alcoholic's personality" — a bold, amplified persona and an unshakable belief that he can do anything. Wiles, who helped engineer Trump's return to the White House, made the remarks in a two-part Vanity Fair profile published Dec. 16.
Wiles' Description of the President
Wiles, 68, said the president, 79, "operates [with] a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing." She framed her observation by comparing Trump's large public persona to traits she associates with alcoholism: exaggeration of temperament and behavior. "Some clinical psychologist that knows one million times more than I do will dispute what I'm going to say. But high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink," she told Vanity Fair's Chris Whipple. "And so I'm a little bit of an expert in big personalities."
Personal Context
Wiles cited personal experience: her father struggled with alcoholism, entered treatment, and was sober for more than two decades before his death in 2013. "Alcoholism does bad things to relationships, and so it was with my dad and me," she told the magazine. She also noted that President Trump himself has long abstained from alcohol, drugs and cigarettes — and has said his older brother Fred Jr.'s struggles with alcohol influenced his choice not to drink.
Paul Morigi/GettyPresident Donald Trump speaks at the Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Reception on Dec. 6, 2025
Comments on the Epstein Files and Administration Figures
Wiles weighed in on the controversial release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November, directing the Justice Department to publish certain unclassified records. She praised aides she said understood the files' importance, naming Kash Patel and Dan Bongino: "The people that really appreciated what a big deal this is are Kash [Patel] and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino. Because they lived in that world."
Wiles also criticized how Attorney General Pam Bondi handled the distribution of materials when Bondi gave binders titled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" to conservative influencers at the White House. "I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this," Wiles said. "First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn't on her desk."
Response After Publication
After Vanity Fair published the series, Wiles posted on X calling the coverage "a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history." She said significant context was omitted and defended the administration's record: "The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other President has accomplished in eight years," she wrote.
Key quote: "The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other President has accomplished in eight years," Wiles wrote on X.
Wiles' comments offer a rare, candid assessment from one of the president's closest aides, mixing personal recollection with sharp critiques of colleagues and defenders of the administration's agenda.
