President Donald Trump insisted he never read the story that painted him in an unflattering light. Yet, his rambling response suggested otherwise, as he talked himself in circles while trying to justify the remarks.
The moment drew even more attention after a photo of Trump standing beside his late mother that’s circulating online above an image of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — the woman behind the comments — prompting a wave of double takes on social media.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles made some explosive comments in the Vanity Fair article, and Trump was later asked if he was offended. Wiles said that the 79-year-old has “an alcoholic’s personality,” but Trump was unbothered. His reaction surprised many, until they saw a picture of his mother.
A picture of Wiles under one of Trump and his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was shared on Threads with the caption, “As Freud would say, ‘If it isn’t one thing, it’s your mother.'” The resemblance between Wiles and Mary Ann is pretty close, right on down to their hairdos, and it has people saying, “Whoa.”
View on Threads
Many reactions on social media noted how much the women look alike, and they also acknowledged that Trump giving Wiles a pass over the negative comments suddenly made sense. “That’s exactly what I said, she reminds him of his mother,” replied one user in reference to the post’s caption.
One fan joked about how the president recently introduced Wiles as “Susie Trump.”
“Is this why he called her ‘Susie Trump’?”
“Oh my lanta this is WTF??? This man has serious mommy issues,” added another.
“She cut him off breastfeeding,” joked one. “I believe the mother did as well.”
Wiles said that Trump has “an alcoholic’s personality” in the Vanity Fair feature.
“High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink,” she said. “And so I’m a little bit of an expert in big personalities.”
The chief of staff also said that Trump has “a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing.”
When asked if he was offended by the remark, the president began with a flat “No,” but his explanation quickly turned into a back-and-forth with himself. “No, she meant that I’m, you see, I don’t drink alcohol,” Trump said, before immediately veering into a hypothetical about what kind of drinker he might be if he did.
“I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic… it’s a very possessive personality,” he continued, only to stop and correct himself mid-thought. “What’s the word? Not possessive, possessive and addictive type personality,” Trump said, repeating variations of the same idea as if trying to land on a version that sounded right.
The longer he spoke, the more his answer contradicted itself, culminating in a claim that he hadn’t even read the Vanity Fair piece. “I didn’t read it, but I don’t read Vanity Fair,” before abruptly praising Susie Wiles anyway, declaring she had done a “fantastic job,” a turn that made it sound less like a defense and more like an argument he was having entirely with himself.
Fans were left visibly confused by the president’s rambling response. One viewer summed up the moment bluntly, writing, “Wait, what???” Another suggested Trump was trying a little too hard to control the narrative, adding, “This is what over-explaining looks like.”
Others were far less charitable, with one commenter dismissing the entire exchange with a curt, “Quiet, Piggy.”
After her interview was published, Wiles walked back her comments and claimed that Trump is “the finest president” in history.
