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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and played down remarks attributed to her in a Vanity Fair article, saying her comments had been taken out of context.
In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he had previously described himself as having a “possessive and addictive personality,” responding to a report that Wiles had referred to him as having an “alcoholic’s personality.”
Trump said he was fortunate not to drink and added that he has made similar comments about himself many times.
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Trump said he had not read the full Vanity Fair article and does not read the magazine, but he strongly endorsed Wiles’ performance. He said she has his full confidence, calling her “fantastic.”
Why It Matters
As a key player at the White House, Trump's Chief of Staff has often appeared quietly alongside him at briefings and during important meetings with foreign officials. She is the first woman to hold the position, and her insights published Tuesday gave a far greater behind-the-scenes view of the goings on within the administration, with the president appearing to stand by some of the comments she herself said were "disingenuously framed".
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What To Know
Speaking to the Post on Tuesday, Trump defended Wiles, saying she had done a "fantastic job", instead disparaging the reporter, Chris Whipple.
“I think from what I hear, the facts were wrong, and it was a very misguided interviewer, purposely misguided," Trump said.
After the piece was published earlier in the day, covering topics including divides over Trump's tariff policy, White House renovations, and Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files, Wiles said on X that the article was a hit piece. She said many of her comments had been taken out of context, but did not deny she had said them.
On Epstein, Wiles told the magazine that she underestimated the scandal involving the disgraced financier, but she sharply criticized how Bondi managed the case and the public’s expectations. She said at one point that Trump's tariffs had been more painful than expected. She conceded some mistakes in Trump's mass deportation program and suggested that the president's retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies has gone beyond what she initially wanted.
But Wiles, who managed Trump's 2024 comeback campaign, broadly defended the president's aggressive second-term agenda, including affirming that Trump wants to keep bombing alleged drug boats in the waters off the coast of Venezuela until that country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, “cries uncle.”
Wiles is known for shunning the spotlight, so it is rare for her to speak as extensively and openly as she did about the president to the magazine, which published its lengthy interview with her— and other members of the White House staff and the Cabinet. Wiles has been speaking to Vanity Fair since just before Trump took office last January.
Trump told the Post on Tuesday that the access had been limited to just a few short interviews.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, speaking to The New York Post: “If anybody knows the interviewer, and if they know Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair is a totally — it’s lost its way. It’s also lost its readers, as you know. No, she’s fantastic.”
Susie Wiles, on X Tuesday: "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. 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."
Brian Stelter, media analyst and former Vanity Fair writer, on X: "The fact-checking process is INTENSE. Editors and fact-checkers probe your sourcing, your framing, your quotes. Thus Susie Wiles knew this story was coming and knew the quotes were legit. She can object to "context" but not quotes."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on X: “My dear friend (Susie Wiles) fights every day to advance President Trump’s agenda – and she does so with grace, loyalty, and historic effectiveness. Any attempt to divide this administration will fail. Any attempt to undermine and downplay President Trump’s monumental achievements will fail. We are family. We are united.”
What's Next
Trump administration officials appeared united around Wiles on Tuesday afternoon, saying the Vanity Fair piece would not distract them from their work.
This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
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