Fox News anchor John Roberts pressed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday over a splashy Vanity Fair profile that featured a series of headline-grabbing quotes attributed to Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles and portrayed the president’s inner circle as chaotic.
During America’s Newsroom, Roberts raised questions about how the two-part Vanity Fair series came together, noting the extensive access the magazine appeared to receive. He pointed out that Wiles had sat for numerous interviews with the writer over nearly a year and that portraits were taken of senior figures including Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, and senior adviser Stephen Miller.
“I mean it looks like the White House was working hand in glove with Vanity Fair,” Roberts said, before reading from Wiles’s own statement responding to the article. In that statement, Wiles called the profile a “disingenuously framed hit piece” that ignored key context in order to “paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the president.”
Roberts then put the question directly to Leavitt. “What happened? What went wrong?” he asked.
Leavitt did not hesitate to defend the administration or her boss. She echoed Wiles’s criticism of the article and rejected the premise that the White House had collaborated in producing a negative portrayal.
“Well, look, I would just echo my boss, Susie Wiles, who is the best chief of staff in our nation’s history, working for the greatest president in our nation’s history,” Leavitt said. She argued that the Vanity Fair piece was “another attempt at fake news” by a reporter who, in her view, acted disingenuously and took Wiles’s comments out of context.
Leavitt went on to accuse the reporter of selectively omitting favorable remarks about President Donald Trump and his team. “I think most importantly, the bias of omission was ever present throughout this story,” she said. According to Leavitt, the article left out “all of the positive things that Susie and our team said about the president and the inner workings of the White House.”
She said Wiles had made clear that while the portrayal was “deeply unfortunate,” it would not derail the administration’s agenda. Leavitt emphasized that the White House remains focused on policy results rather than media narratives.
“It won’t distract us from making America great again,” Leavitt said, underscoring what she described as the president’s productivity. She claimed Trump has “accomplished more in 11 months than most presidents do in eight years,” crediting his vision and determination, as well as Wiles’s role in executing that vision across the government.
Leavitt closed by offering a personal note of loyalty and praise for the chief of staff. She said Wiles’s leadership has been central to the administration’s success and made clear she stands firmly behind her.
“I’m very proud to call [Susie Wiles] a boss, and a mentor, and a friend,” Leavitt said.
The exchange highlighted the ongoing tension between the Trump White House and legacy media outlets, with administration officials accusing major publications of distorting facts and pushing negative narratives, while insisting that their focus remains squarely on delivering results for the American people.
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