Author of explosive Susie Wiles profile reveals 'her biggest gaffe of all'

Questions have swirled about why Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, chose to speak out in 11 damning on-the-record interviews last year with Vanity Fair, and now the author of the piece has unveiled his theory as to why, and what he believes was her "biggest gaffe."

Chris Whipple wrote a New York Times op-ed on Wednesday about Wiles' jaw-dropping admissions about Trump and his administration, in which she described the president as having an "alcoholic's personality" and called Vice President JD Vance "a conspiracy theorist for a decade." The remarks set off a political firestorm and sent the White House into damage control.

But the mystery was never solved as to why the famously tight-lipped operative, known for avoiding cameras and shunning publicity, suddenly opened up to a journalist. Whipple explored multiple theories in his op-ed.

"My theory is simple: People want to tell their stories. Every good biographer knows that most people, if you treat them with fairness and respect, will open up to you," he said.

Others, meanwhile, speculated she was buffing her legacy or distancing herself from unpopular administration actions. Some suggested she may have been playing political chess, potentially positioning allies like Marco Rubio for 2028 while undermining Vance.

Perhaps most damaging was Wiles's admission about her role as chief of staff, said Whipple. When pressed on whether she challenges Trump on major issues, she conceded, “they’re over little things, not big," and doesn’t have “these seminal moments where you have to go in and tell the president what he wants to do is unconstitutional or will cost lives. I don’t have that.”

Whipple called her out over the answer.

"For a White House chief of staff, that’s an abdication of responsibility, a startling admission — and maybe her biggest gaffe of all," he said.