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The night Donald Trump reclaimed the presidency, he invited campaign manager Susie Wiles to the microphone to take a bow. She declined.
When his team departed for a two-day public [discussion] about the campaign at Harvard, Trump’s chief aide remained in Florida.
As she prepared to move into her corner office in the West Wing, Wiles repeatedly stated she had no patience for those seeking the spotlight. “My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, inappropriate second-guessing, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission,” she [told] Axios before Inauguration Day.
All of this stands in stark contrast to the image of Wiles that surfaced unexpectedly on Tuesday following a series of 11 [conversations] with a student of White House chiefs of staff, published by Vanity Fair. In these exchanges, Wiles spoke with notable candor—and perhaps disregard for decorum—about Trump and the team she leads on his behalf. While Trump has labeled her an “ice maiden,” she described him as having an “alcoholic’s personality,” operating “with a view that there’s nothing he can’t do.” (Trump is famously a [teetotaler].) And while Trump has repeatedly hailed her as “the most powerful woman in the world,” she reciprocated by acknowledging he is wrong about countless things.
For someone who espouses a mantra more fitting for the No-Drama Obama team, Wiles certainly added intrigue to Washington’s gossip with her remarks, made sometimes from her office and sometimes from her home laundry room. “I don’t ever seek attention,” she said in one interview.
Perhaps. But the disclosures set off D.C.’s all-too-familiar speculation: How much longer would Wiles stay in her role, and what strategy was she pursuing? After all, Trump’s first four years saw four chiefs of staff cycle through, and his three campaigns appeared to constantly reset, with rival figures emerging as de facto leaders. Wiles, a shrewd Florida-based lobbyist, rarely acts without calculation.
Still, Trump thrives on such drama. The former reality show host punishes not those who challenge his agenda, but those who take credit for shaping it. On that front, Wiles may have earned favor with comments framing many administration decisions as stemming directly from Trump’s orders. Even as she shows sass, she remains primarily his enforcer, carrying out his wishes even when she disagrees.
On tariffs, Wiles noted there was significant disagreement over the approach. Trump announced them regardless.
On exacting retribution on political foes, Wiles said there was a loose agreement he would move on after roughly 90 days back in the White House. He has not.
On pardoning the 1,500 people convicted for their role in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, she said she was outvoted.
On dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, she simply stated she was appalled.
And on the ongoing saga of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Wiles said the president was wrong to continue claiming former President Bill Clinton was involved in the scandal. Meanwhile, Wiles acknowledged Trump himself is mentioned in the files, adding it is “nothing nefarious.”
For her part, Wiles [said] Tuesday that author Chris Whipple took her comments out of context and omitted her praise for Trump and his team. In her public view, it was a “hit piece.” The White House maintained Wiles retains Trump’s trust. Still, she did not deny any of her quotes, including calling Vice President J.D. Vance a “conspiracy theorist” who joined Trump’s movement out of convenience, suggesting former Trump adviser Elon Musk was microdosing ketamine when posting incendiary statements on X, and blaming Attorney General Pam Bondi for mishandling the Epstein story.
These unguarded remarks certainly fueled what much of Washington already suspected or knew firsthand. Still, Trump loathes giving opponents a win, and failing to back Wiles would deviate from his pattern. After all, when his first national security adviser this term was criticized for accidentally sending sensitive military operation details to a reporter, he [retained him].
Still, Wiles’ revealing comments marked a departure from the insider Trump called on to speak on election night at his Florida club. “Susie likes to stay in the background,” Trump said. “The ice maiden. We call her the ice maiden.”
She may now find herself sidelined, at least temporarily, as everyone assesses when the frost will thaw.
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