When your chief of staff starts giving blunt interviews about your personality quirks and policy missteps, that's usually a bad sign. But President Donald Trump isn't treating it that way. On Tuesday, he defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles after she gave a series of remarkably candid interviews describing him as having "an alcoholic's personality" and questioning decisions made by some of his closest advisers.

Not Offended, Just Possessive

Trump told the New York Post he wasn't insulted by Wiles' characterization. "No, she meant that I'm — you see, I don't drink alcohol… I've often said that if I did, I'd have a very good chance of being an alcoholic… It's a very possessive personality," he explained, echoing his long-standing position that he avoids alcohol after watching his brother's struggles with addiction.

Wiles, whose father was late NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, is Trump's first female chief of staff and one of his most enduring political strategists. She previously ran Trump's Florida operations and played a pivotal role in orchestrating his 2024 comeback campaign.

In 11 on-the-record conversations with Vanity Fair, Wiles didn't hold back. She compared Trump's temperament to "high-functioning alcoholics" whose personalities get amplified, and said he behaves as if there's "nothing he can't do." She also acknowledged that global tariffs had been "more painful than I expected," criticized immigration enforcement lapses, and took shots at Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of Jeffrey Epstein files.

Trump's response? "I didn't read it, but I don't read Vanity Fair — but she's done a fantastic job." He added that "from what I hear, the facts were wrong, and it was a very misguided interviewer, purposely misguided."

The Damage Control Brigade

Wiles quickly pivoted to damage control, calling the story "a disingenuously framed hit piece" that strips away context about "the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history."

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Wiles' words were taken out of context, while Trump supporters rallied on social media. Financier Howard Lutnick praised Wiles as "an historic Chief of Staff" who "deeply understands President Trump and the MAGA movement."

Even Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Wiles said "whiffed" on the Epstein document release, jumped to her defense. Bondi called Wiles a "dear friend" and declared that "any attempt to divide this administration will fail." According to Politico, Vice President JD Vance, whom Wiles described as "a conspiracy theorist for a decade," told reporters he only believes "in the conspiracy theories that are true."

Is This The Beginning Of The End?

Former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci read the tea leaves differently. He wrote that "the Trump era is ending," suggesting that when senior advisers "feel emboldened to speak so candidly, something's up."

The whole episode underscores the unusual position Wiles occupies. She's both Trump's public defender and, by her own admission, someone who sometimes can't talk him out of retribution or risky policy moves. For now, Trump is sticking by Wiles, even as her remarkably frank comments give everyone — allies and critics alike — a rare window into how power actually works inside his second-term White House.