Speaking to the New York Post, the president said he wasn’t offended by Wiles’s choice of words.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who Vanity Fair reported as saying the president has an “alcoholic personality” in an interview with the publication.
Speaking to the New York Post, the president said he wasn’t offended by Wiles’s choice of words.
“No, she meant that I’m—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 told the Post.
“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.”
Trump’s comments came after Vanity Fair published an article on Tuesday morning, which, according to Wiles, was a “disingenuously framed” hit piece on her, the president, and his team.
In the interview with Vanity Fair, Wiles said: “High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I’m a little bit of an expert in big personalities.”
Wiles added that Trump had “an alcoholic’s personality,” according to the Vanity Fair article.
Trump “operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing,” she said.
The article quickly drew attention on social media. Shortly after it was published, Wiles posted a statement on X criticizing the story.
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story,” Wiles said. “I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”
Wiles went on to praise the accomplishments of the president and his cabinet over the past 11 months.
“None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!” she said.
By Emel Akan
