Top moments in Susie Wiles’s unfiltered interview

🥊 Plus: Trump team slams Vanity Fair 'hit piece'

12:30 REPORT 12:30 REPORT Tuesday, December 16 | By Cate Martel Today in DC: ☀️ 36°  View Online  |  Sign up It's Tuesday. I've officially entered my week of holiday baking! What recipes should I try this year?! 🎄 In today's issue: Susie Wiles divulges in Vanity Fair profile Top moments from the interview Brown U manhunt enters Day 4 Michelle Obama's stunning Reiner detail US adds 64K jobs in November Hottest toy of 2025 🎤 IN THE WHITE HOUSE Susie Wiles, unfiltered: AP Vanity Fair's Chris Whipple spoke with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles during "each moment of crisis" — 11 interviews in total — during President Trump's first 11 months back in office. Wiles was remarkably candid with Whipple about the inner workings of the Trump administration. This interview is getting a lot of attention.  Her assessment of Trump 2.0 is not entirely glowing in the story. And keep in mind, she's Trump's *current* chief of staff, not former.  She appears to have a good working relationship with the president. Just last week, Trump referred to her as "Susie Trump." In the Vanity Fair story, she describes disagreeing with the president at times while indicating she doesn't think her role is to restrain the president but to help facilitate his goals. Here are the most remarkable quotes from Wiles: Wiles's assessment of Trump and his team: 🔷 Trump: Wiles says Trump "has an alcoholic's personality." 🔷 Vice President Vance: Wiles says Vance has "been a conspiracy theorist for a decade." 🔷 Elon Musk: Wiles says Musk is an "odd, odd duck" who is not always rational. She described him as "an avowed ketamine" user. Some of his actions left her "aghast." 🔷 Budget director Russell Vought: She described him as "a right-wing absolute zealot." 🔷 Attorney General Pam Bondi: Wiles says Bondi "completely whiffed" on the early handling of the Epstein file saga. Other newsy highlights: 🔷 On Trump's 'score settling': Wiles said she had a "loose agreement" with Trump that he would stop trying to punish his political enemies after his first three months in office. That agreement did not last — Wiles acknowledged his efforts to retaliate against rivals. 🔷 On Jeffrey Epstein: Wiles acknowledged that Trump was "wrong" when he said former President Clinton visited Epstein's private island. 🔷 How Wiles described herself: "I'm not an enabler. I'm also not a b----. I guess time will tell whether I've been effective." 🔷 On dismantling USAID: "No rational person could think the USAID process was a good one. Nobody." Read the full reporting today: 'Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the "Junkyard Dogs": The White House Chief of Staff On Trump's Second Term (Part 1 of 2)' Plus: 'Susie Wiles Talks Epstein Files, Pete Hegseth's War Tactics, Retribution, and More (Part 2 of 2)' ➤ IS SUSIE WILES OK WITH HOW THIS PIECE TURNED OUT?: Not at all. She slammed Vanity Fair's reporting this morning, forcibly pushing back by calling it a "disingenuously framed hit piece." From Wiles's first X post since October 2024: "Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team," Wiles wrote. 🔎 Read Wiles's full critique of Vanity Fair's reporting White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly backed Wiles. "President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie," she posted. 💬 Follow today's live blog 📊 NEWS THIS MORNING Let's pretend today is the first Friday of the month: The U.S. added 64,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6 percent, according to new data released by the Labor Department. Why are we getting this data today?: Usually, we get this data on the first Friday of every month. However, it was delayed due to the 43-day government shutdown, which halted economic data collection. The awful Rob Reiner situation: We're learning more about the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner. Police say their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, is "responsible" for their death over the weekend, according to CNN. He is being held without bail. And CNN reports that their daughter found them on Sunday in their home. The night before: Nick Reiner was reportedly seen having an argument with his father at Conan O'Brien's holiday party. Read more on what we know Related, via The New York Times: 'Nick Reiner's Struggles With Drugs Left His Parents 'Desperate'' Tidbit: Former first lady Michelle Obama says she and her husband had plans to see the Reiners later in the day Sunday, the day they were found dead. ➤ TRUMP'S COMMENTS ABOUT REINER HAVEN'T SAT WELL WITH MANY FOLKS: Trump's comments mocking Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner's death have rubbed many folks the wrong way, including Republicans. David Urban, a former Trump adviser, called Trump's comments "indefensible." And Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.) thinks Trump should not have weighed in on Reiner's death. "A wise man once said nothing. Why? Because he's a wise man," Kennedy told CNN's Manu Raju at the Capitol. "I think President Trump should have said nothing." More GOP pushback. 🍝 OTHER NEWS Throwing spaghetti at the wall to see *if anything* sticks: Lawmakers are scrambling to find a solution to the health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. So far, Democratic efforts to extend the subsidies have failed, and so have Republican alternatives. In the House: The House Rules committee meets at 2 p.m. to work on Republicans' health plan. Read more  Meanwhile, in the Senate: The Hill's Al Weaver reports that a bipartisan group of roughly 20 senators met on Monday night, working to find a solution. Read Weaver's reporting: 'Senate health care talks flicker to life as ObamaCare deadline nears' There's still no suspect:  The manhunt to find the suspect in the Brown University shooting that killed two people and injured others has entered its fourth day. Police and the FBI released new photos and videos of the suspect. 📸 See the photos 📹 Watch the video footage The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. How did the Erika Kirk-Candace Owens meeting go?: Erika Kirk described her meeting with right-wing podcaster Candace Owens as "very productive." Candace Owens agreed: "Erika and I had an extremely productive 4 1/2 hour meeting that I think we both feel should have taken place a lot earlier than it did," Owens posted. "We agreed much more than I had anticipated. Of course, we also disagreed on various points and people as well. Most importantly, we were able to share intel and clarify intent." Read Owens's full post Keep in mind: Owens has been promoting conspiracy theories about the death of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk's widow. Erika Kirk has asked Owens to stop. ➤ QUICK HITS: — The Trump administration argued in a court filing that the White House ballroom construction is a matter of national security, per The Associated Press. — Donald Trump Jr. is engaged to Bettina Anderson. Read more — Pennies from the last-minted batch sold for more than $16.76 million at auction. Read more ➤ MORE READS: The Washington Post: Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military Politico: New York Young Republican Club gala draws white nationalist, far-right Germans as elected officials skip out The Wall Street Journal: Companies Are Desperately Seeking 'Storytellers' COMING UP The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) 1 p.m. Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings. Votes are possible later today. 📆 Today's agenda 1:30 p.m. First House votes. Last votes will happen at 4 p.m. 📆 Today's agenda 2 p.m. Trump participates in an ambassador credentialing ceremony. 8:15 p.m. Trump participates in a Hanukkah reception. 💻 Livestream 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍫 Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.   🎮 The hottest toy of the year: "The toy that's sold out in America's biggest retailers and just topped Amazon's charts on the busiest shopping day of the year was made by a tech startup that had absolutely no clue how to make a toy." It's a $249 gaming console. Read the Wall Street Journal's reporting   🎆 Everyone's favorite Andy duo: Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will host CNN's New Year's Eve coverage again this year. 👋 AND FINALLY… A reader sent me an adorable video of a dog taking up downhill ski racing. Put him on the U.S. team!  Stay Engaged  📺 Miss yesterday's newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video. I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes 🍪 to cmartel@thehill.com. 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