White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles criticized Vanity Fair after the magazine published a story drawn from months of conversations with her about the Trump administration and its senior officials.
The article attributed several sharp assessments to Wiles, including a remark describing President Donald Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality,” and criticism that Attorney General Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” in her early handling of the release of files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
In a statement posted to X, Wiles denounced the story as unfairly constructed.
“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history,” Wiles wrote.
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”
The Vanity Fair piece also described Wiles’ views on several ongoing controversies, including reported strikes on alleged drug boats in Venezuelan waters and the administration’s position on transparency around the Epstein-related materials. It also examined internal discussions about retaliatory actions against political opponents. According to the story, Wiles said there was a “loose agreement” with Trump that “score settling” would stop before 90 days into his second term—though the article suggested that approach continued beyond that window.
After the story’s publication, multiple officials publicly defended Wiles.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X: “President Trump has no greater or more loyal adviser than Susie. The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and united fully behind her.”
Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought—who the article said Wiles had called “a right-wing absolute zealot”—also praised her in a post on X, calling her an “exceptional chief of staff.”
“I have had the privilege of working in President Trump’s White House for every single minute of his two terms. Let me be very clear: It has never worked this well or been more oriented toward accomplishing what he wants to accomplish. In my portfolio, [Susie Wiles] is always an ally in helping me deliver for the president. And this hit piece will not slow us down,” he added.
Wiles did not directly dispute the remarks attributed to her in the Vanity Fair article.
