In a controversial profile by Vanity Fair, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has revealed that the Trump administration has been pursuing vendetta-motivated prosecutions against his critics and political adversaries in the first year of his second term.
Over the course of 11 interviews with writer Chris Whipple, Wiles, a longtime political operative and the first female White House Chief of Staff, detailed numerous disagreements, assessments and interactions within the White House since Trump took office in January.
One of these revelations involves a "loose agreement" she had with President Trump that any "score-settling" legal actions against his perceived enemies would end after the first 90 days of his second term as president. However, as the year went on, Trump reportedly continued pursuing his adversaries through the courts. "I don't think he wakes up thinking about retribution," Wiles told Vanity Fair. "But when there's an opportunity, he will go for it."
This second Trump administration has pursued cases against figures like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but federal judges have recently dismissed some of these efforts, including the criminal cases against Comey and James, citing procedural issues.
In her Vanity Fair interview, Wiles offered scathing assessments of the character of many key figures within the Trump administration, including the president himself. She described Trump as having "an alcoholic's personality," and alleged that Vice President J.D. Vance turned from Trump critic to ally to help him run for the Senate.
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.
— Susie Wiles (@SusieWiles) December 16, 2025
Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the…
Wiles has since condemned the Vanity Fair profile as "a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history." She claimed that "significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story..."
Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any President in American history.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 16, 2025
President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie.
The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and… https://t.co/Y3NEXI6a1E
Numerous figures from the White House have also criticized the piece. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, defending Wiles, said that "President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie. The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and united fully behind her."
The President and the entire team love Susie because she is loyal and good at her job. An extremely rare combo in the halls of power. https://t.co/BzMDA9uIWr
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 16, 2025
Susie Wiles is arguably the most perfect presidential chief of staff in modern American history. She is the first female to occupy that position, but more importantly she is a leader who combines deftness, kindness, and compassion with a maternal toughness and discipline that… https://t.co/YYmBiSlj1D
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) December 16, 2025
Vice President Vance said, "The President and the entire team love Susie because she is loyal and good at her job. An extremely rare combination in the halls of power," while Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called her "the most perfect presidential chief of staff in modern American history. She is the first female to occupy that position, but more importantly she is a leader who combines deftness, kindness, and compassion with a maternal toughness and discipline that elevates the entire White House apparatus."
