Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, spoke candidly about Trump’s inner circle and the piece made even bigger waves with its unsparing photos
Critics of the Trump administration have praised Vanity Fair’s interview with the White House chief of staff, and particularly the unvarnished photographs of Trump’s inner circle that accompanied it, as overdue scrutiny of a controversial cabinet even as his allies rallied to dismiss it as a hit piece.
Over what the magazine said was 11 separate interviews by reporter Chris Whipple, Susie Wiles spoke candidly about her colleagues, describing Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality”, JD Vance, the vice-president, as being a “conspiracy theorist for a decade” and Russell Vought, the budget chief, as a “right-wing absolute zealot”.
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© Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters
© Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters
© Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters
Report on Kamala Harris’s loss to Trump would be a ‘distraction’ as party is ‘putting our learnings into motion’
The Democratic National Committee won’t release a review of its election loss in 2024, saying it would be a “distraction” from helping the party win going forward.
The party has been working on a so-called autopsy of 2024 since Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.
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© Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
© Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
© Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The plan to mobilise Russia’s frozen assets is morally compelling and ingenious. The problem is that its enemies will never see it that way
Morally, the decision facing the European Council in Brussels this week has been a no-brainer. Russia invaded Ukraine illegally and unilaterally. Moscow shows no sign of wanting peace. It actively threatens other countries too, including Britain. Ukraine is running out of money. Yet £184bn worth of Russian assets remain frozen in Europe, notably in Belgium. That money should therefore be mobilised to fund Ukraine. To many, this would be the enactment of a clear and present duty, proof positive that Europe can still be a heavy hitter.
In the messy reaches of the real world, however, things have not been straightforward. Law, economics and politics all managed to insinuate themselves, sometimes venomously, into the intense buildup to Brussels. Reparations can have lethal political consequences. Seizure of assets will undoubtedly face legal challenge. It is also bitterly opposed by Donald Trump, who wants the unfreezing of assets to form a key part of his pro-Russian peace plan. Mr Trump is pressing hard for a quick deal, and US and Russian negotiators are poised to meet again in Miami at the weekend.
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© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
© Kent Nishimura for The New York Times
© Loren Elliott for The New York Times
© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times
Late-night hosts recapped Trump’s national address and further insights from chief of staff Susie Wiles’s interview
Late-night hosts discussed – or ignored – Donald Trump’s surprise primetime address and dug further into the explosive new interview the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
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© Photograph: Youtube
© Photograph: Youtube
© Photograph: Youtube
© John Thys/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
© Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty
© Kenny Holston/The New York Times
© Yuvraj Khanna for The New York Times
© Doug Mills/The New York Times
Class Action, a grassroots network formed after the affirmative action ruling, seeks to be critical of universities in their current form
Last spring, as the Trump administration was freezing billions in federal research funding for universities and threatening the visas of thousands of international students, Emily Hettinger, a senior at Yale, joined a campus protest in defense of higher education.
It was a strange place to be for Hettinger, who had been growing disillusioned with Yale over what she saw as its elitism and disinterest in the disadvantaged community surrounding its Connecticut campus. “I remember feeling this sort of dissonance,” Hettinger said. “I wanted to defend higher education, but I didn’t want to defend it in its current form.”
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© Photograph: Honey Fields
© Photograph: Honey Fields
© Photograph: Honey Fields
The president’s appearance and schedule have sparked speculation – perhaps fueled in part by his political fortunes
Is Donald Trump OK?
Recently, he’s looked tired. His famous fake tan is a bit more sallow than usual and seems painted on more thickly and clumsily than it was before. He appears to nod off in front of cameras more and more often, including in cabinet meetings and press events in the Oval Office. His public schedule is light: he is often at his golf clubs, has traveled around the country less frequently than at this point in his first term, and now only rarely holds the stadium rallies that once defined his preferred style of politics. He tends to sit, even when others are standing, and has shortened his daily schedule, often not conducting official duties before noon. A New York Times report found that his public appearances have declined by nearly 40% compared to his first year in office. He sometimes disappears from public view for days as he did in the late summer, and he and his administration have released unclear and conflicting information about his health. His right hand seems to be experiencing frequent injury or discoloration – it will often be covered with a band-aid or smeared with makeup; the White House has claimed, implausibly, that he is bruised from shaking too many hands. In some images, his ankles are visibly swollen.
Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist
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© Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
© Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
© Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
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