Trump cabinet rallies around Susie Wiles after blistering Vanity Fair interview

WASHINGTON, DC: Senior Trump administration officials moved swiftly on Tuesday, December 16, to defend White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles after Vanity Fair published a lengthy profile highlighting her assessments of the president, his inner circle and the administration’s alleged turbulent first year in office.

The two-part story, written by author Chris Whipple, is based on 11 interviews conducted with Wiles between January and early November and offers a rare, behind-the-scenes portrait of one of the most powerful figures in the White House.

Cabinet secretaries and senior officials rally around Susie Wiles

Following publication, Cabinet secretaries and senior officials publicly rallied around Wiles, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt amplifying their statements online.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, whom Wiles allegedly labeled as a “right-wing absolute zealot”, praised her leadership, calling her “an exceptional chief of staff.”

“In my portfolio, she is always an ally in helping me deliver for the president,” Vought wrote. “This hit piece will not slow us down.”

Despite being singled out in the article, Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a full-throated defense, describing Wiles as a close friend and a loyal steward of Trump’s agenda.

“We are family. We are united,” Bondi wrote. “Any attempt to divide this administration will fail.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed that sentiment, accusing critics of smearing the administration’s most effective leaders.

“Susie is the most trusted, most professional and most effective chief of staff of my lifetime,” Hegseth wrote.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy similarly dismissed the article as an effort by the “radical left” to sow discord inside the White House.

Vice President JD Vance, asked about the article during a trip to Pennsylvania, said he had not yet read it but was aware of the comments attributed to Wiles.

“Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true,” Vance said, adding that he and Wiles have long joked about the label.

Vance cited his opposition to masking young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and his concerns about President Joe Biden’s fitness for office as examples.

“If any of us have learned a lesson from that Vanity Fair article,” he added, “I hope the lesson is we should be giving fewer interviews to mainstream media outlets.”

While Robert Kennedy Jr said, "Susie Wiles is arguably the most perfect presidential chief of staff in modern American history."

He added, "She is the first female to occupy that position, but more important that she is a leader who combines deftness, kindness, and compassion with a maternal toughness and discipline that elevates the entire White House apparatus."

Susie Wiles' blunt quotes spark wide media attention 

According to Vanity Fair, Wiles described President Trump, who reportedly does not drink alcohol, as having “an alcoholic’s personality,” saying his sense of confidence is boundless.

“There’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing,” she was quoted as saying.

The article also attributes to Wiles sharp criticisms of several senior officials. She reportedly said Vice President JD Vance “has been a conspiracy theorist for a decade.”

She also faulted Attorney General Pam Bondi for having “completely whiffed” on the handling of the Epstein files, and criticized Elon Musk as well as the process used to dismantle the US Agency for International Development early in the administration.

“No rational person could think the USAID process was a good one,” Wiles said, according to the story.