Vanity Fair published a striking series of unusually candid interviews today with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, recorded by author Chris Whipple during the first year of President Donald J. Trump’s second term. In the interviews, Wiles described Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality,” said Vice President JD Vance “has been a conspiracy theorist for a decade,” and characterized his shift from Trump critic to ally as “sort of political,” driven by his Senate ambitions rather than principle. She called Elon Musk “an avowed ketamine” user and “an odd, odd duck,” saying his behavior was not always rational and at times left her “aghast.” Wiles also labeled OMB Director Russell T. Vought “a right-wing absolute zealot” and said Attorney General Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” in her handling of the Epstein files.
Wiles further revealed that she urged Trump to abandon his campaign of “score settling” after the first 90 days of his term, but conceded that the administration’s continued push for prosecutions has been fueled in part by the president’s desire for retribution against perceived enemies. While she said Trump is not constantly focused on revenge, she noted that “when there’s an opportunity, he will go for it.” She also acknowledged that Trump was not telling the truth when he accused former President Bill Clinton of visiting the private island of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
