Susie Wiles’ wide-ranging Vanity Fair interviews included pointed criticism of figures such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, prompting a swift, public defense from President Trump’s allies and senior staff. Despite candid remarks — including a description of the president as having an "alcoholic’s personality" — Trump and his inner circle rallied around Wiles, underscoring her influence and the loyalty she commands. The episode exposed tensions over discretion inside the West Wing while highlighting Wiles’ central role in shaping the administration’s narrative.
Susie Wiles’ Candid Vanity Fair Interview Prompts Swift Defense From Trump Circle
Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, attends a roundtable in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 8, 2025. - Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg/Getty Images
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles delivered unusually candid assessments to Vanity Fair over the past year, drawing particular attention for her criticism of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In comments published Tuesday, Wiles said Bondi "completely whiffed" in her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files — a matter that has been politically charged among President Trump’s supporters and a recurring source of headaches for the administration. Bondi quickly defended her "dear friend" and fellow Floridian, joining other allies in publicly closing ranks and redirecting scrutiny toward the magazine and the reporter.
"Any attempt to divide this administration will fail," Bondi wrote on social media in response to the Vanity Fair feature.
The broad show of loyalty for Wiles — from top aides, Cabinet members and some of the administration’s most vocal online defenders — arrived within hours of the story and contrasted with a stunned reaction inside the West Wing. Many officials said they were surprised that a typically discreet troubleshooter had been so forthright on the record.
“You see, I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic,” Trump told the New York Post after Vanity Fair reported Wiles described him as having an “alcoholic’s personality.” “I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality.”
At least one aide told CNN the public defense was part of a coordinated effort to blunt fallout. The display of unity stood in sharp contrast to the turnover and infighting that marked much of the president’s earlier term, when senior staff and Cabinet members frequently cycled through the administration.
Wiles’ Role and Reaction Inside the West Wing
The episode highlighted Wiles’ unique influence inside Trump’s orbit. Known to the president by nicknames such as the "Ice Maiden" and sometimes "Susie Trump," she has built broad loyalty across the White House and the campaign apparatus. That allegiance deepened after Trump left office when Wiles remained close to him and helped guide his political comeback as co-campaign manager for his third presidential run.
Some officials privately acknowledged that someone else might have faced consequences for similar public comments. Yet close advisers said there are few in the president’s inner circle whom he trusts as fully as Wiles — and few who court so little publicity.
Wiles called the Vanity Fair story a "disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history." Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also accused the magazine of a "bias of omission" for not including positive comments Wiles and others had given.
Mixed Reactions From Key Players
Privately, some aides expressed unease about the level of candor Wiles shared in her interviews. One ally told CNN the article was circulating in "every group chat," and that "everyone is shocked and confused." Wiles spoke at length in 11 interviews with historian and author Chris Whipple, offering frank commentary about the president, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, and sometimes lifting the veil on policy choices.
Several of those Wiles criticized publicly rallied to her defense. Donald Trump Jr. praised her on X, writing that she is "by far the most effective and trustworthy Chief of Staff that my father has ever had." Vance deflected Wiles’ characterization of him as a longtime conspiracy theorist with a quip, while OMB Director Russ Vought — called by Wiles a "right-wing absolute zealot" — praised her as "an exceptional chief of staff." Elon Musk, who was also criticized in the piece, had not publicly commented about Wiles as of the evening after publication.
To many observers, the rapid show of support was predictable: Wiles commands respect and wields significant power within the administration. For now, the episode has underscored ongoing tensions about discretion, media strategy and who controls the White House narrative.
Reporting note: CNN and Vanity Fair were cited in accounts of the interviews and reactions; this article synthesizes those publicly reported details.
