Susie Wiles criticizes Vanity Fair article: It 'is a disingenuously framed hit piece'

Susie Wiles, chief of staff to President Donald Trump, criticized the article about her published by Vanity Fair. She argued that - in her view - it was a story that was done in a misleading manner with the intent of attacking her and the Republican president.

"Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team," Wiles wrote in a brief statement about the publication in which she is quoted speaking about the Trump administration's decisions.

In that regard, Wiles argued that "the truth is that the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other president in eight years and that is due to the unmatched leadership and vision of President Trump, for whom I have had the honor of working for the better part of a decade."

In the magazine article, Wiles - allegedly - claimed that President Trump "has an alcoholic’s personality." The article also claimed that Wiles described Vice President JD Vance as "a conspiracy theorist for a decade" and details that Vance's conversion from Trump critic to MAGA acolyte, according to her, has been "sort of political."

In addition, the story explained Wiles' political life and outlined that - apparently - "Wiles’s relationship with Trump almost ended at his Miami golf club one night in the fall of 2016. Unhappy with a poll showing him doing worse than expected in Florida, Trump berated her in front of a gaggle of cronies."

"‘You know Mr. Trump, if you want somebody to set their hair on fire and be crazy, I’m not your girl. But if you want to win this state, I am. It’s your choice'," Wiles expressed in the Vanity Fair article.

The media outlet claims that Wiles left and Trump changed his tune: "Lo and behold, he called me every day."

Other members of the administration are also quoted in the piece. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly asserted that Wiles' job is difficult for anyone else to do:

"I don’t think there’s anybody in the world right now that could do the job that she’s doing," Rubio expressed quoted by the magazine.

For his part, Vice President Vance reportedly noted that "there is this idea that people have that I think was very common in the first administration (...) that their objective was to control the president or influence the president, or even manipulate the president because they had to in order to serve the national interest. Susie just takes the diametrically opposite viewpoint, which is that she’s a facilitator, that the American people have elected Donald Trump. And her job is to actually facilitate his vision and to make his vision come to life."

The reactions

When asked about the report, the vice president quipped: "Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true."

"Susie Wiles is an exceptional chief of staff. I have had the privilege of working in President Trump’s White House for every single minute of his two terms. Let me be very clear: It has never worked this well or been more oriented towards accomplishing what he wants to accomplish. In my portfolio, she is always an ally in helping me deliver for the president. And this hit piece will not slow us down," said in remarks reported by National Review, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, whom Wiles described as an "absolute right-wing zealot."

For their part, other members of the administration such as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy came out in defense of the chief of staff. "As someone who actually works closely with Susie, I can attest that she is brilliant, tough as nails, and is 100% dedicated to President Trump & America," Duffy wrote on his X account.

The Interior secretary highlighted that he has worked with Wiles "for years and she is an extraordinary leader. She is disciplined, smart, insightful, strategic, and extraordinarily calm under pressure."