Did Susie Wiles claim that Trump has an ‘alcoholic’s personality’?

WASHINGTON: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has offered a rare, candid glimpse into internal strains within President Donald Trump’s administration, making remarks in a Vanity Fair interview that portray sharp disagreements among senior officials and an unforgiving leadership style at the top.

The comments appeared in a profile by author Chris Whipple, based on 11 interviews conducted during Trump’s first year back in office. Wiles, the first woman to hold the post of White House chief of staff, characterised the teetotal president as having what she described as an “alcoholic’s personality” a temperament marked, in her view, by absolute confidence and a readiness to strike back at those he sees as adversaries.

She also took aim at Vice President J D Vance, saying he had embraced conspiracy theories for years and suggesting his evolution from Trump critic to ally was driven more by political calculation linked to his Senate ambitions than by conviction.

The remarks prompted a swift backlash from within the administration. In a post on X, Wiles said the Vanity Fair article was a “disingenuously framed hit piece” that relied on selective quotations and stripped her comments of context to cast both her and the administration in a negative light.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that defence, saying Wiles enjoys the president’s full confidence and remains a trusted and loyal adviser.

Vance also closed ranks with Wiles, telling reporters in Pennsylvania that he respects her consistency and integrity, adding that he has never witnessed any disloyalty from her toward the president.

In the interviews, Wiles was critical of several high-profile decisions and controversies, including billionaire Elon Musk’s role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s initial handling of plans to release files linked to Jeffrey Epstein. She said Bondi’s early signals that damaging information might be made public, followed by a retreat, angered Trump’s right-wing supporters.

Wiles said she had urged Trump not to pardon the most violent individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and had advised delaying sweeping trade tariffs. On both counts, she said, her counsel was ignored. She also argued that deportations of undocumented immigrants should have been more carefully reviewed to prevent mistakes.

Reflecting on her description of Trump’s personality, Wiles said her upbringing with an alcoholic father had prepared her to deal with what she called “big personalities”. While noting that Trump does not drink, she said he operates with an unshakeable belief that nothing is beyond his reach.

On the Epstein matter, Wiles acknowledged that Trump’s name appears in the documents, but said she found nothing to suggest he engaged in wrongdoing.

She also suggested that Trump’s push to see New York Attorney General Letitia James prosecuted over alleged mortgage fraud may have been driven, at least in part, by a desire for retribution against a longtime critic. Trump may not actively seek revenge, Wiles said, but when the opportunity arises, he is inclined to pursue it.