Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, has offered an unusually candid look inside Donald Trump's administration in a series of interviews with Vanity Fair magazine. In 11 conversations with author Chris Whipple conducted over Trump's first year back in office, Wiles shared her unvarnished opinions on cabinet officials and the president himself.
Wiles criticised Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and took aim at Elon Musk for dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She described President Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality” and an eye for vengeance against perceived enemies, unusual revelations for a sitting chief of staff.
After the article was published on Tuesday, Wiles called it “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest president, White House staff, and cabinet in history.” She claimed it omitted important context and selectively quoted her to create a negative narrative. Several cabinet officials and aides rushed to her defence, but Wiles has notably not denied any specific details or quotes.
The interviews mark a rare moment of transparency from a White House that typically guards internal deliberations closely. Wiles, who had maintained a low profile for much of Trump's term, now finds herself at the centre of a controversy over her own candid remarks.
