Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles blamed Elon Musk’s Hitler fandom on drug use. Then Wiles said she didn’t. Then the tape rolled.
According to the New York Times’ Peter Baker, Wiles characterized Musk’s behavior as irrational, brought up his drug use, and described being forced to confront him about the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass firing campaign. Baker reported, “Ms. Wiles described frustration with Mr. Musk, the billionaire who early in the year was empowered to eviscerate federal agencies and fire employees en masse with almost no process,” noting Wiles complained, “He’s an odd, odd duck, as I think geniuses are. You know, it’s not helpful, but he is his own person.”
Wiles referenced a Musk post on X defending Stalin, Mao, and Hitler, observing, “I think that’s when he’s microdosing,” and stating, “he’s an avowed ketamine [user].”
During a subsequent interview with the Times, Wiles initially denied making the drug abuse statement, claiming, “That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t have said it and I wouldn’t know.” However, Whipple produced the tape confirming her remarks.
Wiles went on record with Vanity Fair’s Chris Whipple, where she made comments about Musk’s weird behavior, his tendency to “microdose,” and the chaos unleashed by his power over mass federal firings. Then she turned around in a follow-up interview with the New York Times and insisted, “That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t have said it and I wouldn’t know.” Whipple, apparently familiar with how quotes work, then played the recording.
Wiles also lamented the destruction of USAID and accused Musk of literally locking people out of their jobs. While Musk’s microdosing seems more like macrodosing, the real scandal here is Wiles forgetting the interview mic was live.
"Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them."
Ms. Wiles suffers from "Trump Engagement Syndrome". "Trump Engagement Syndrome" happens when someone works with him for a while becomes more and more like him as time goes on. Or to paraphrase @Leo ; They become lying liars and lie.