Vanity Fair excerpts portray Susie Wiles as candid, influential figure in Trump's circle

New Vanity Fair excerpts based on 11 interviews with a student of White House chiefs of staff illuminate Susie Wiles, the Florida-based campaign manager who has remained a central figure in Trump’s orbit. The interviews, described by TIME’s D.C. Brief as drawn from conversations in the weeks surrounding Inauguration Day, portray a manager who told colleagues that she would not tolerate backbiting or drama, arguing such behavior was counterproductive to the mission while also revealing sharp, sometimes controversial, views about the president and his team.

On Trump, Wiles is quoted as describing an "alcoholic’s personality" and saying he "operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do." The piece also references Trump’s own praise for Wiles, including a nickname he has used, "the ice maiden," even as she acknowledged he is often wrong on many things. She has repeatedly asserted that she does not seek attention, telling Axios before Inauguration Day that "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission." [Image inserted here following this paragraph]

Beyond personal dynamics, the Vanity Fair disclosures lay out specific policy disagreements and management choices. Wiles said there was "a mighty big disagreement on how to go forward" on tariffs, noting that Trump announced them anyway. She described a loose understanding that the president would move on after about 90 days back in the White House, a plan that has not yet played out. She said she was "outvoted" on pardoning about 1,500 people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, and she expressed disbelief at moves to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. On the Epstein saga, she said the boss was "wrong" in asserting that former President Bill Clinton had a hand in the scandal.

On the specifics of the quotes, Wiles told TIME’s D.C. Brief that Chris Whipple's piece "took my comments out of context" and that it omitted her praise for Trump and his team. The White House insisted Wiles continues to enjoy Trump’s trust. She did not deny a subset of quotes that painted Vice President J. D. Vance as a "conspiracy theorist" who joined the movement for convenience, nor remarks about Elon Musk and the Epstein matter, nor comments about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Epstein narrative.

The revelations come as Trump’s administration, historically marked by rapid turnover and public internal debate, navigates ongoing policy questions and a wary political environment. Wiles, who has long emphasized discipline and a results-focused approach, remains a consequential figure for the operation, even as the internal gallery of aides and advisers continues to shift. The Vanity Fair disclosures add texture to a broader narrative about leadership style, loyalty, and how the former president’s inner circle translates ambition into policy, all while the public watches for new signs about who stays, who goes, and how far staff will go to align with a president whose political playbook has repeatedly defied conventional expectations.