Susie Wiles Says Trump Won’t Run Again, Claims Trump Is ‘Alcoholic’ and Defends Controversial Policies

Susie Wiles, the 68‑year‑old chief of staff for President Donald Trump, spoke candidly to Vanity Fair’s Chris Whipple about the president’s personality, key decisions, and the administration’s approach to policy.

Wiles on Trump’s Personality

Wiles told Whipple that Trump “has an alcoholic’s personality,” adding that Trump does not drink and comparing him to her father, television sportscaster Pat Summerall, who she said suffered from alcoholism. She said, “Some clinical psychologist that knows one million times more than I do will dispute what I’m going to say. But high‑functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink,” and added that she is “a little bit of an expert in big personalities.” Trump responded on the New York Post, defending Wiles and saying she has “done a fantastic job.” He said, “You see, I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality.”

Trump’s Own Words on Alcohol

Trump added, “I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before.”

Wiles on Trump’s Future in Office

Wiles said confidently that Trump will not run for a third term, even though he has floated the idea. “He knows he can’t run again,” she said, noting the 22nd Amendment makes it “pretty unequivocal.” She added that Trump has said this to her.

Wiles’ Response to the Vanity Fair Profile

After the profile was published, Wiles denounced the story on X as “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.” She said “significant context was disregarded” and it was “done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”

White House Press Secretary’s Praise

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Wiles, saying, “Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any President in American history. President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie. The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and united fully behind her.”

Wiles on Trump’s “Retribution Tour”

In March, Wiles told Whipple that she would remind the president that he was not supposed to engage in a retribution tour. She said, “We have a loose agreement that the score settling will end before the first 90 days are over.” In August she added, “I don’t think he’s on a retribution tour. A governing principle for him is, ‘I don’t want what happened to me to happen to somebody else.’ And so people that have done bad things need to get out of the government. In some cases, it may look like retribution. And there may be an element of that from time to time. Who would blame him? Not me.”

Trump’s Health

Wiles said the president’s health is “great.” The White House disclosed that the MRI was of Trump’s cardiovascular system and abdomen, and the president’s physician said the imaging was “perfectly normal.” She dismissed claims that Trump was falling asleep in Cabinet meetings, saying, “He’s not asleep. He’s got his eyes closed and his head leaned back … and, you know, he’s fine.”

Venezuela Operations

Wiles defended the administration’s military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific targeting boats allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela. The operations expanded last week to the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela’s coast. Wiles said, “He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” and that the president believes in harsh penalties for drug dealers. She added, “These are not fishing boats, as some would like to allege. … The president says 25,000. I don’t know what the number is. But he views those as lives saved, not people killed.” Wiles said Trump does not need congressional approval to carry out attacks at sea, citing CIA intelligence.

Pam Bondi and the Epstein Files

Wiles said she read the “Epstein file” and that Trump is “not doing anything awful.” She said Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were “young, single playboys together.” Wiles disputed Trump’s statements about former President Bill Clinton, saying there is no evidence that Clinton visited one of Epstein’s islands 28 times and that Trump’s claim about incriminating Clinton was inaccurate. She added, “The president was wrong about that.” The administration faces a Friday deadline to release the government’s files on Epstein.

Wiles criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the files, saying Bondi “completely whiffed” on appreciating the targeted group. She added that Bondi first gave binders “full of nothingness” and then claimed a witness list was on her desk, which she said was not true. Bondi had said in February that a list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” After the Justice Department and FBI found no client list, Bondi told reporters she was actually referring to Epstein‑related files.

Vance and Conspiracy Theories

Wiles called Vice President Mike Vance a “conspiracy theorist.” She said Vance was initially a critic of Trump but changed his mind during his Senate campaign. Wiles added, “His conversion came when he was running for the Senate. And I think his conversion was a little bit more, sort of political.” Vance said, “Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true.” He defended Wiles, saying she is the same person around the president and outside.

Musk’s Role in the Administration

Wiles spoke about Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, which “gutted wide swaths of the federal government.” She said, “The challenge with Elon is keeping up with him. He’s an avowed ketamine [user]. And he sleeps in a sleeping bag in the EOB [Executive Office Building] in the daytime. And he’s an odd, odd duck, as I think geniuses are. You know, it’s not helpful, but he is his own person.” Musk’s time in the administration ended on May 28 when he announced on X that he is departing after his scheduled time.

Wiles said Musk reposted a tweet about public sector workers killing millions under Hitler, Stalin and Mao. She added, “I think that’s when he’s microdosing,” and noted she did not have first‑hand knowledge of any drug use by Musk. Musk said he tried prescription ketamine a few years ago but was not taking drugs now. Wiles disputed the quotation, saying, “That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t have said it and I wouldn’t know.” The Times reported that Whipple played an audio recording confirming the comment.

Wiles on USAID

Wiles said she was “initially aghast” when Musk dismantled the United States Agency for International Development. She added, “Because I think anybody that pays attention to government and has ever paid attention to USAID believed, as I did, that they do very good work.” She said, “When Elon said, ‘We’re doing this,’ he was already into it. And that’s probably because he knew it would be horrifying to others. But he decided that it was a better approach to shut it down, fire everybody, shut them out, and then go rebuild. Not the way I would do it.”

Key Takeaways

• Wiles says Trump will not run again, citing the 22nd Amendment.
• She labels Trump’s personality as that of an alcoholic, a claim defended by Trump.
• Wiles defends the administration’s Venezuela operations and claims Trump has no need for congressional approval for sea attacks.
• She criticizes Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files and calls Vice President Mike Vance a conspiracy theorist.
• Wiles shares her mixed view of Elon Musk’s role, noting his drug use claims and the dismantling of USAID.

The profile paints a picture of a chief of staff who is both outspoken about the president’s character and defensive of controversial policy choices, while also offering sharp critiques of other administration officials.