Washington, Dec 16
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Tuesday sharply rejected a Vanity Fair profile that detailed internal debates and crises in President Donald Trump’s second term, calling it a “disingenuously framed hit piece” that ignored context and selectively omitted remarks to portray the administration as chaotic.
“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,” Wiles said in a post on X. “Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story.”
Wiles said the portrayal was intended “to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team,” adding: “The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other President has accomplished in eight years and that is due to the unmatched leadership and vision of President Trump.”
The Vanity Fair article by Chris Whipple, titled “Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the ‘Junkyard Dogs’: The White House Chief of Staff On Trump’s Second Term,” is a two-part profile drawn from months of interviews with Wiles.
The piece describes her as the most powerful figure in the White House after Trump and recounts her role managing policy disputes, Cabinet infighting, and high-profile controversies.
“I’m not an enabler. I’m also not a bitch,” Wiles is quoted as saying in the article. “I guess time will tell whether I’ve been effective.”
The profile includes on-the-record remarks by senior officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is quoted praising Wiles’s relationship with Trump as “an earned trust,” while Vice President JD Vance describes her role as a facilitator of the president’s agenda.
“Susie just takes the diametrically opposite viewpoint,” Vance said, adding that “her job is to actually facilitate his vision and to make his vision come to life.”
The article recounts episodes ranging from debates over tariffs and immigration enforcement to the restructuring of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the impact on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
In the article, Wiles is quoted as acknowledging disagreement with some actions while emphasising execution.
“I will concede that we’ve got to look harder at our process for deportation,” she said at one point.
On tariffs, the article quotes Wiles describing internal divisions: “There was a huge disagreement over whether [tariffs were] a good idea.”
She added that advisers were told to align with Trump’s direction: “This is where we’re going to end up. So figure out how you can work into what he’s already thinking.”
The profile also details Wiles’s management style and her proximity to power. “There’s the president, and then there’s whoever the three high-ranking people are on the sofa,” she said of Oval Office events. “And then there’s a chair at the corner of the sofa, which is my chair.”
Wiles’s response rejected the broader framing of the piece and reaffirmed loyalty to Trump. “None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!” she wrote.
The Vanity Fair article situates Wiles at the centre of decisions that, it says, have expanded presidential power, including the deployment of National Guard troops, immigration enforcement, and foreign policy actions.
It also raises questions about whether she restrains the president or fully embraces his approach.
“The question around Wiles’s tenure under Trump has been whether she will do anything to restrain him,” the article states.
In her public rebuttal, Wiles made clear she views the administration’s first year as a success and dismissed critical characterisations of internal discord.
Trump returned to office in January 2025 after winning the 2024 presidential election, beginning a second, nonconsecutive term marked by aggressive policy moves and frequent legal and political challenges.
The White House chief of staff traditionally serves as the president’s gatekeeper and chief coordinator, a role that has taken on heightened importance amid rapid executive action.
