White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and several senior Trump administration officials responded to a Vanity Fair report published Tuesday (Dec. 16), dismissing it as a “dishonestly framed hit” that misrepresented her comments and painted a distorted picture of the administration.
The magazine published an extensive series of interviews conducted by journalist Chris Whipple during the first 11 months of President Donald Trump’s second term, containing unusually candid remarks attributed to Wiles about key figures in and around the White House.
Wiles: “The context was ignored”
As excerpts of the article circulated online, Wiles responded in a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, accusing the magazine of selectively presenting her remarks.
“The article published early this morning is a falsely framed hit about me and the best president, White House staff and cabinet in history,” Wiles wrote.
“Important context was ignored and much of what I and others said about the team and the president was left out of the story.”
“After reading it, I believe it was done to paint an overwhelmingly messy and negative story about the president and our team,” she added.
“Unrivaled leadership,” says Wiles
Wiles defended President Trump’s record, saying the administration’s accomplishments have been overlooked.
“The truth is that the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other president has in eight years,” she wrote.
“This is because of the unparalleled leadership and vision of President Trump, for whom I have been honored to work for the better part of a decade.”
She ended her post with the familiar refrain: “None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of making America great again!”
Explosive claims in Vanity Fair report
A Vanity Fair report credited Wiles with several controversial remarks, including describing President Trump as having the “personality of an alcoholic” and operating under the belief that “there’s nothing he can’t do.”
She was also quoted as criticizing Vice President JD Vance, who stated that he “was a conspiracy theorist for ten years” and suggested that his evolution from Trump critic to supporter was driven by political calculation rather than principle.
The report further claimed that Wiles said Attorney General Pam Bondi had misunderstood the feelings of the Republican base regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Elon Musk’s remarks attract attention
Among the most striking passages were comments attributed to Wiles about Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and former Trump adviser.
She described Musk as “an avid ketamine user” and “an odd, odd duck”, adding that his behavior “infuriated” her.
White House officials rallied to Wiles’ defense
Following Wiles’ response, several senior government officials publicly supported her and also condemned the Vanity Fair report.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, whose article cited Wiles as a “right-wing absolute bigot,” rejected that portrayal.
“Susie Wiles is an exceptional chief of staff,” Vought wrote.
“Let me be very clear: It has never worked so well or been more focused on achieving what (President Trump) wants to achieve.”
“The most effective White House,” colleagues say
Other White House officials echoed similar sentiments.
Harrison Fields, senior deputy press secretary, wrote: “Susie Wiles has without a doubt led the most effective, efficient and unified White House and administration — second to none.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavittová also praised Wiles’ leadership.
“Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any president in American history,” she said.
“The entire administration is grateful for her continued leadership and fully united behind her.”
