In a remarkably frank interview, Susie Wiles, a key architect of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and his former chief of staff, has pulled back the curtain on the internal dynamics and personal convictions shaping the former president's second term. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Wiles did not hold back her honest assessments, revealing her failed attempts to steer Trump away from a core promise and offering sharp critiques of key figures around him.
A Failed Warning on Retribution
One of the most significant revelations from the conversation was Wiles's admission that she actively tried to dissuade Donald Trump from making political retribution his top agenda. She confirmed that this attempt to counsel the president did not work out. Wiles provided a nuanced view of Trump's mindset, suggesting he doesn't necessarily wake up plotting revenge but seizes opportunities when they arise. "I don’t think he wakes up thinking about retribution. But when there’s an opportunity, he will go for it," she explained.
Addressing the perception that Trump is witch-hunting his opponents, particularly in the prosecution of figures like former FBI Director James Comey, Wiles was strikingly candid. "I mean, people could think it does look vindictive," she stated. "I can’t tell you why you shouldn’t think that." This acknowledgment highlights the challenging public relations battle surrounding the legal actions against Trump's political foes.
Blunt Takes on Vance, Musk, and Bondi
Wiles did not spare Trump's own running mate, Senator JD Vance, from her critical analysis. She dismissed his transformation from a staunch Trump critic to a loyal ally as a calculated political move rather than a genuine change of heart. Wiles pointedly remarked that Vance had "been a conspiracy theorist for a decade" and became a Trump loyalist for transparently political reasons.
Her commentary extended to other prominent personalities. On tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former Trump ally, Wiles described him as "an avowed ketamine user" and "an odd, odd duck, as I think geniuses are." Regarding former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the sensitive Jeffrey Epstein case files, Wiles was brutally direct. She asserted that Bondi "completely whiffed" by giving binders of materials to conservative influencers, calling the contents "nothingness" and disputing Bondi's claim about possessing a client list.
Analyzing the 'Alcoholic' Personality
Perhaps the most personal and psychological insight came when Wiles compared Trump's demeanor to that of an alcoholic's personality, despite noting the president is a known teetotaler. Drawing from her experience growing up with an alcoholic father, she described herself as "a little bit of an expert in big personalities." She explained, "High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink." This analogy was her way of framing Trump's larger-than-life, impulsive, and often exaggerated conduct in office.
The Vanity Fair interview paints a picture of a seasoned operative who, despite her deep loyalty and role in Trump's political resurrection, maintains a clear-eyed and sometimes worried perspective on the forces she helped unleash. Wiles's confessions underscore the ongoing tensions within Trump's inner circle between conventional political strategy and the president's instinctive drive for payback, setting the stage for a turbulent chapter in American politics.
