Good afternoon. The White House is in full damage-control mode after a bombshell Vanity Fair profile exposed extraordinary behind-the-scenes remarks from Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The revelations have sent shockwaves through the administration and sparked a frantic internal effort to contain the fallout. This is a story the White House does not want amplified. I will not stop holding power accountable. Subscribe to support my work. You will get the news no matter what happens.

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According to the profile, Wiles sat for more than ten in-depth interviews with Vanity Fair author Chris Whipple, offering an unusually candid—and at times blistering—assessment of President Trump, his inner circle, and the administration’s internal dysfunction. What emerged was a portrait of a White House riven by mistrust, ideological warfare, and unresolved power struggles at the very top.

Behind the scenes, aides are now racing to shore up support for Wiles, even as President Trump himself has remained conspicuously silent.

In the hours following publication, the White House and nearly every cabinet secretary issued near-identical statements backing Wiles, signaling a coordinated effort to project unity. Yet the absence of any comment from Trump has only intensified speculation about her standing—and whether her candor has crossed an unforgivable line.

Privately, aides are describing a West Wing in panic mode, unsure whether the president views the article as a betrayal, a liability, or both.

The revelations attributed to Wiles are remarkable not only for their substance, but for their source: the sitting White House chief of staff. Among the most explosive disclosures:

  • On Epstein: Wiles confirmed she personally reviewed the Epstein documents and acknowledged that Trump’s name appears in them. She also directly contradicted Trump’s claims about Bill Clinton, stating there is “no evidence” Clinton ever visited Epstein’s private island.
  • On January 6: Wiles said she urged Trump not to pardon the most violent January 6 rioters—advice he ignored.
  • On Retribution: She openly admitted Trump is driven by vengeance, telling Whipple that “when there’s an opportunity, he will go for it.” Efforts to persuade him to stop score-settling—even after 90 days in office—failed because, she said, his desire for retribution never stopped.
  • On Trump Himself: Wiles described Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality,” explaining that her ability to manage him stems from growing up with an alcoholic father, legendary sportscaster Pat Summerall.
  • On JD Vance: She labeled the vice president “a conspiracy theorist for a decade,” saying his transformation from Trump critic to loyalist was politically motivated—driven by Senate ambitions, not conviction.
  • On Elon Musk: Wiles described Musk as “an avowed ketamine user,” calling him “an odd, odd duck” whose behavior was often not rational and left her “aghast.”
  • On Russell T. Vought: She branded the budget director a “right-wing absolute zealot.”
  • On Pam Bondi and Epstein Files: Wiles said the attorney general “completely whiffed” the Epstein rollout:
    • “First she gave binders full of nothingness. Then she claimed the witness list or client list was on her desk. There is no client list — and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.”
  • On Immigration: She warned the administration needed to “look harder” at deportations to avoid catastrophic mistakes. Referring to two mothers deported with their children after voluntarily attending routine check-ins, Wiles said:
    • “I can’t understand how you make that mistake — but somebody did.”
  • On Trade: She acknowledged a “huge disagreement” among advisers over tariffs and said she unsuccessfully pushed Trump to delay them.
  • On USAID: Wiles defended the agency, stating that “anyone who has paid attention to government knows they do very good work.”

    • Wiles ultimately summarized Trump’s governing philosophy in stark terms: a belief that there is nothing he cannot do—nothing, zero, nothing.

    For a chief of staff tasked with enforcing discipline, the portrait she painted instead exposes a presidency defined by impulse, grievance, and internal chaos. Whether Trump chooses to defend Wiles, sideline her, or retaliate remains an open question—but the damage is already done.

    What was once whispered behind closed doors is now public. And the White House is still reeling.