Just days before Christmas, as the nation drifted into its annual haze of lights, carols, and cautious optimism, an interview dropped that nobody inside Donald Trump’s inner circle appeared ready for. Vanity Fair published a sweeping, deeply uncomfortable profile built on 11 interviews conducted over the past year with members of Trump’s closest advisory team—most notably his own chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Wiles, long known as the most disciplined and low-profile figure in Trump’s orbit, has often been described as the adult in the room. Rarely seen, rarely heard, and fiercely controlled, she earned the nickname “the Ice Maiden” for her ability to operate behind the scenes without spectacle. That reputation evaporated overnight.
The interview painted a portrait not just of Trump, but of a White House simmering with resentment, ideological chaos, and personal grudges. Wiles reportedly acknowledged that attempts to target New York Attorney General Letitia James were acts of political revenge. She pushed back against Trump’s claims tying Bill Clinton to Epstein Island, calling them unsupported. She admitted she tried—and failed—to stop Trump from considering pardons for those involved in the January 6 riot.
The revelations didn’t stop there. Elon Musk was described as erratic and deeply unsettling, with Wiles allegedly labeling him an “odd duck” and referencing ketamine use—comments she later denied, until reporters released audio proving otherwise. She criticized the dismantling of USAID, slammed the administration’s deportation strategy as reckless, and accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of mishandling the Epstein files entirely.
Perhaps most jarring were her comments about Trump himself. Wiles reportedly described the president as having “an alcoholic’s personality”—a statement Trump, astonishingly, did not deny. According to the interview, he agreed with the characterization outright.
The White House quickly dismissed the article as a “hit piece,” but the damage was already done. The backlash inside the administration was immediate and chaotic. Staffers who had willingly participated in the interviews—and even posed for a meticulously staged photo shoot—were suddenly claiming shock and confusion at the final product.
Vice President JD Vance attempted to spin the fallout into a lesson, urging colleagues to stop engaging with mainstream media altogether. Yet even he didn’t escape the story unscathed. Wiles reportedly labeled him a conspiracy theorist, a charge Vance half-embraced in a response that only fueled further criticism.
All of this unfolded against a backdrop of Trump loudly celebrating what he calls the return of “Merry Christmas.” Over and over, Trump has claimed credit for resurrecting the phrase, insisting Americans were once forbidden from using it. The irony wasn’t lost on critics, who noted that while Trump celebrates a cultural victory that never disappeared, real economic concerns continue to mount.
According to a new CNBC survey, nearly half of Americans say they’re cutting back on holiday spending due to rising costs—prices Trump once promised to lower on day one. Unemployment has climbed to a four-year high of 4.6 percent, further darkening the holiday mood.
Meanwhile, personal milestones added another surreal layer to the season. Donald Trump Jr. announced his engagement to Bettina Anderson, while Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed her own engagement to a conservative media figure. The White House itself has been undergoing visible rebranding, complete with new signage that critics say makes the Oval Office resemble a luxury resort rather than the seat of government.
And then came the image that felt almost too symbolic to ignore: in Brazil, a towering replica of the Statue of Liberty was torn from its pedestal by a storm, crashing into a parking lot. Liberty fallen. Fast food untouched.
As the year closes, the administration faces a reality it can no longer Sharpie over. What began as an attempt to control the narrative ended as a public unraveling—one that revealed far more than anyone intended.
