"Reciprocal Tariffs Were 'Thinking Out Loud'"
Internally Viewed as Either a Cure-All or a Disaster
"Trump Has the Personality of an Alcoholic"
Suzy Wiles, White House Chief of Staff and one of President Donald Trump's closest aides, revealed in a media interview on December 16 (local time) that there were significant disagreements within the administration regarding President Trump's policy of imposing reciprocal tariffs. She explained that even among Trump’s inner circle, there were considerable concerns about the negative effects of the tariff policy, such as instability in financial markets and trade friction with other countries.
At the White House Cabinet Meeting in Washington, D.C., Suzy Wiles, White House Chief of Staff. Photo by AP Yonhap News
In an interview published that day in the monthly pop culture magazine Vanity Fair, Chief of Staff Wiles commented on President Trump’s decision on April 2 to declare a “Day of American Liberation” and impose reciprocal tariffs of over 10% on all countries, stating that it was “closer to thinking out loud.” This is interpreted to mean that the policy was pushed forward rapidly according to President Trump’s strong will, rather than after a thorough review of its effects.
At the time, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on South Korea, which had signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, and classified about 60 countries as “worst offenders,” adding individual country-specific tariffs on top of a basic 10% tariff. Immediately after this announcement, global financial markets experienced significant turmoil, and President Trump added to the confusion by announcing a 90-day suspension of the country-specific tariffs just 13 hours after they took effect.
Chief of Staff Wiles recalled the situation, saying, “There were enormous disagreements about whether (the tariffs) were a good idea.” She noted that even among the staff, opinions were divided between those who saw tariffs as a cure-all and those who feared they could cause economic disaster.
She stated, “We told President Trump, ‘Let’s not talk about tariffs today. Let’s wait until the team is completely aligned,’” revealing that she and Vice President J.D. Vance tried to slow down the tariff policy. However, she added, “I still believe a compromise solution will succeed,” but admitted that “the process so far has been much more painful than I expected.”
Wiles also described President Trump’s personality as “that of an alcoholic,” saying, “He acts as if there is nothing he cannot do.” She continued, “The personalities of severe or ordinary alcoholics are exaggerated when they drink,” adding, “So I am something of an expert on people with strong personalities.”
In response, President Trump defended Chief of Staff Wiles’ remarks in an interview with the New York Post on the same day. He said, “As you know, I don’t drink. Everybody knows that,” adding, “I have often said, ‘If I drank, I would have had a very high chance of becoming an alcoholic.’”
He went on to describe himself as having a “possessive and addictive type personality,” noting, “I have said that about myself many times.”
President Trump stated that he had not read the interview article, but said, “I’ve heard that the facts were wrong and the interviewer led it in a very wrong direction.” However, he emphasized that his trust in Chief of Staff Wiles remains unchanged, saying, “She’s fantastic.”
Meanwhile, after the interview was published, Chief of Staff Wiles refuted the article on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “malicious article dishonestly constructed,” and claimed, “Important context was ignored and much was omitted.”
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