Donald Trump’s second administration has been considerably different from his first chaotic one, which was best known for its leaks and constant job changes. One of the main reasons for that has been Trump’s trusted Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles. But after the latest media profile, it seems Wiles also finally cracked — and it became one of the most discussed stories of the year.
The profile was first published in Vanity Fair, and when it was announced that the magazine would be doing an in-depth look at a year in the White House under Trump, most people didn’t know what to think. On the left, there was concern that the publication was abandoning its tradition of having its pulse on culture and perhaps even bending to Trump-era pressure, like other media conglomerates are thought to have done.
On the right, the concern was different. MAGA faithful have long associated the media with being “fake,” just as Trump claims they are. In fact, every prestigious accolade has been labeled “far left” unless Trump wants to appear on the cover of TIME or win a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s a situation where they want representation in the media, and when that doesn’t happen, they throw a fit.
And the truth of the matter is that regardless of which side of the aisle a reader falls on, these people are among the most powerful in the world and should be covered as often and as fairly as possible. Even before the full story was out, it was obvious that Vanity Fair wasn’t going to pull any punches, especially after releasing extreme close-up photos of White House insiders on Instagram that some users called disturbing.
It was Wiles, however, who was ironically more forthcoming than even the writer, Chris Whipple. She was quoted calling the administration’s multibillionaire campaign financier, Elon Musk, an “avowed ketamine user,” whose wild tweets she usually dismisses as things he says while “microdosing.” She called the head of the Office of Management and Budget a “right-wing zealot.” It didn’t stop there. Wiles also had choice words for her boss, Trump, whom she said “had an alcoholic personality,” and claimed JD Vance was there purely as a political move.
Multiple members of the administration, including Wiles herself, have denied these quotes. It’s worth mentioning, however, that Vanity Fair was quick to say it had transcripts to back them up. The prevailing narrative within the administration now is that Wiles was taken out of context.
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…
This is wild!
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) December 17, 2025
You know the Vanity Fair article with Susie Wiles that everyone’s talking about?
Yeah. This is the audio version.
Narrated by Nicolle Wallace, and it’s not “taken out of context”.pic.twitter.com/X6IyW6rYyy
It is obvious to most people that Vanity Fair deliberately manipulated pictures and reported statements without context to try and make the WH team look bad
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 17, 2025
And there is nobody more loyal or committed to President Trump’s mission than Susie Wiles. She is one of the main reasons…
Still, the two-part piece is more than just a handful of controversial quotes. For the most part, none of those statements were surprising — Trump just celebrated the death of a man allegedly killed by his own son, after all. Wiles reportedly admitted that Trump is actively settling scores with political foes and that he is, in fact, in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Some are already suggesting that Wiles is far too smart to let this information slip accidentally and may be looking for a raft from a sinking administration.
My call is that Susie Wiles saw the files and wanted to get ahead of the PR Crisis.
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) December 16, 2025
Especially as a woman.
Wiles even suggested that her assessment of Trump is of someone who has no limits and understands no boundaries. She said, “He operates with a belief that there is nothing he can’t do. Nothing. Zero. Nothing.” Coming from Trump’s closest confidant, that assessment is deeply concerning.
