Trump World Circles Wagons Around Embattled Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles is suddenly the most publicly defended person in President Trump's orbit. After Vanity Fair ran a two-part profile by Chris Whipple based on 11 interviews with Wiles, the White House chief of staff and longtime adviser came under scrutiny for remarks in which she questioned some of Trump's aides and described Trump as having "an alcoholic's personality." She also disputed his take on the Jeffrey Epstein files, said she sought to limit Jan. 6-related pardons, and insinuated that the president appeared determined on ousting Venezuela's leadership.

• Wiles' reaction: The chief of staff denounced the story on X on Tuesday as a "disingenuously framed hit piece," while not contesting the accuracy of the quotes, per the New York Times.

• Trump's reaction: Speaking to the New York Post, Trump said he hadn't read the article but called Wiles "fantastic" at her job and didn't push back on her description of his personality. Instead, he framed it as consistent with his longtime claim that he doesn't drink and might have had "a very good chance of being an alcoholic" if he did, calling it a "very possessive personality."
• Other reaction: Within hours of the Vanity Fair piece going online, a dozen-plus members of Trump's Cabinet publicly praised Wiles online. Some of those defending her had been singled out in the interviews. Vice President JD Vance, whom Wiles reportedly labeled a "conspiracy theorist," replied that "sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true," while adding he'd never seen Wiles be disloyal to Trump. Budget chief Russell Vought, described by Wiles as a "right-wing absolute zealot," called her "exceptional" and "an ally."
• Other reaction II: Attorney General Pam Bondi, criticized by Wiles for how she handled the Epstein files, called Wiles a "dear friend" who advanced Trump's agenda with "grace, loyalty, and historic effectiveness," adding, "We are family. We are united." Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., went further, calling Wiles "by far the most effective and trustworthy" chief of staff his father has had and insisting "there is no one on Earth more equipped" for the role.
• Conversation around the controversy: Writer Whipple, meanwhile, is now talking about his VF scoop, and his "extraordinary level of access to Wiles" over the past year, per NPR. "Every once in a while in the course of your career as a reporter, lightning strikes," he says. Politico also has a discussion on the fallout.