Donald Trump has defended his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, after she gave a series of strikingly unguarded interviews to Vanity Fair in which she likened the president to an alcoholic and said he believes “there’s nothing he can’t do, nothing, zero”. Wiles, who gave 11 interviews to author Chris Whipple, also said Trump would pursue retribution against political opponents when an opportunity arose, and criticised Elon Musk and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In the interviews, which began before the election, Wiles described Trump, who is teetotal, as having “an alcoholic’s personality”, a comparison she drew from her late father, broadcaster Pat Summerall, who had alcoholism. She said Trump would chase score-settling, claiming a “loose agreement” that retribution would be finished within the first 90 days of his administration had not been kept. Indictments have since been served on New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey.
Wiles also revealed she had warned Trump against pardoning all 1,500 rioters involved in the January 6 insurrection, but relented when he argued sentences were disproportionately heavy. She acknowledged the FBI had done “an incredible job” establishing guilt, a position at odds with Trump’s pursuit of vengeance against agents.
She was sharply critical of Elon Musk, calling him “an odd, odd duck” and saying she was “initially aghast” at his dismantling of USAID. She attributed a controversial social media post by Musk to drug use, saying: “I think that’s when he’s microdosing … He’s an avowed ketamine [user].” She also criticised Pam Bondi for mishandling the Epstein files.
In a social media post, Wiles said the article was “a disingenuously framed hit piece”. Trump, speaking to the New York Post, stood by her, saying he had often said that if he drank, he would likely be an alcoholic. He called the interview “misguided” and said the facts were wrong.
