In a series of remarkably frank interviews, a senior aide to Donald Trump has pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of his administration, prompting a wave of incredulous reactions from America's late-night television hosts.
‘She Dished, Bish’: Colbert on the Explosive Revelations
The catalyst was a Vanity Fair article featuring eleven on-the-record interviews with Susie Wiles, Trump's White House chief of staff. Known for her discretion and nicknamed the ‘Ice Maiden’, Wiles offered a startlingly candid assessment of her boss and the environment around him.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert seized on the disclosures. "If there’s one thing Donald Trump wants, it’s a hamburger," he began. "If there’s a second thing, though, it would be to make you think that you’re crazy. That’s why periodically, I like to remind all of you that you’re not crazy. What’s happening is crazy." He declared that the magazine "confirmed it" and quipped of Wiles: "And she dished, bish."
Among the revelations Colbert highlighted was Wiles's description of Trump, a non-drinker, as having "an alcoholic’s personality". "I think it’s amazing that he doesn’t drink, because he sure sounds like it," Colbert laughed.
The host also zeroed in on Wiles's defence of Trump's past association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom she described as a fellow "young, single playboy" from Trump's past. "Yes, young, single, sometimes married playboys in their 40s and 50s," Colbert joked sarcastically. "Couple of carefree rapscallions partying with teenage girls... You know – youth!"
Kimmel's Take: An 'Early Gift' from a Melted 'Ice Maiden'
Over on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host celebrated what he called "an early gift from the White House". Kimmel noted that Wiles, typically a background figure, had "spilled the beans on her unbalanced boss and his league of lowlifes".
He ran through a list of claims from the interviews, including that Wiles tried to stop Trump's quest for retribution against political enemies, that she attempted to dissuade him from pardoning January 6 rioters, and her characterisations of allies. She labelled Elon Musk an "avowed ketamine user" and an "odd, odd duck", and said JD Vance had been a "conspiracy theorist" for a decade.
Kimmel mocked Wiles's subsequent attempt to walk back her comments on social media, where she called the article a "disingenuously framed hit piece". "That’s right, like when she said that the president has the personality of an alcoholic, she meant a fun alcoholic, like Barney from the Simpsons, you know?" Kimmel quipped.
A 'Hellish' Office and More Late-Night Jabs
Colbert saved one of his most vivid critiques for the description of Wiles's West Wing office setup. The magazine reported she kept a live video feed of Trump's social media posts on a monitor next to her fireplace. "So there’s fire and a constant stream of Trump’s social media posts?" Colbert mused. "Are you sure that’s your office? Because it sounds like hell to me."
Meanwhile, Seth Meyers on Late Night touched on other Trump-related news, including a report that the former president is considering demolishing four federal buildings. "Unless someone can explain to him why we even need the House of Representatives," Meyers joked.
He also mocked a Trump post promoting a ‘gold card’ immigration programme for wealthy foreigners. "Where? At a Spencer’s Gifts?" Meyers wondered. "That doesn’t look like a visa, that looks like how you’d buy drinks at a Maga-themed barmitzvah."
The collective reaction from the late-night circuit paints a picture of an administration whose own senior staffer has inadvertently provided its critics with ample, shocking material. The interviews have shifted the perception of Wiles from a controlled operator to a source of remarkably unrestrained commentary, offering a rare and unsettling glimpse behind the scenes.
