Trump: team had a “huge disagreement” on the trade fight, yet he pressed ahead: Wiles, chief of staff

Trump: According to his chief of staff Susie Wiles, US President Donald Trump’s tariff battle was overshadowed by “a huge disagreement” in his administration, and neither she nor Vice President JD Vance was able to stop him.

In frank interviews with Vanity Fair published on Tuesday, she claimed that Trump’s promises that the tariff war would fill the nation’s coffers and not be a burden on consumers were “so much thinking out loud” and that the conflict was poorly managed.

She said that it was “more painful than expected.”

According to Wiles, “there was a huge disagreement over whether (tariffs were) a good idea” among Trump’s aides, but he proceeded.

Wiles said she joined up with Vice President JD Vance to attempt to press the brakes as Trump was getting ready to announce his tariffs, which ranged from 10% to 100% on April 2, which he termed “Liberation Day.”

“Hey, let’s avoid talking about tariffs today,” we said to Donald Trump. She told the magazine, “Let’s wait until the team is fully united before we do it.”

However, Trump ignored their recommendations and proceeded with what he dubbed reciprocal tariffs, only to put the plan on hold for ninety days after the bond market and equities plummeted.

According to the magazine, some people felt it would be a catastrophe, while others thought it was a cure-all.

However, Trump brought the tariffs back, imposing 25% tariffs on India and adding additional 25% punitive tax for purchasing Russian oil.

The government is also divided between the geostrategists, who were worried about the political and diplomatic ramifications, and the mercantilists, who concentrated on the benefits that the tariffs would provide to the Treasury.

For instance, in the case of India, the departments of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have maintained the close cooperation in defense and diplomatic fields while Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick denigrated the nation and encouraged the tariff standoff, keeping an eye on the geostrategic situation where China looms large.

According to the magazine, Wiles thought a compromise on tariffs would eventually be successful.

The flood of frank remarks criticizing individuals and policies in a series of 11 interviews conducted over many months was rare for a chief of staff and cabinet member.

She said in an X post that they were not given the whole settings and sought to create “an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative” about Trump and his administration, but she has not questioned the veracity of the quotes in the pieces.

The Constitution forbids Trump from running for a third term, although he has hinted at doing so.

She blurted out that he is “having fun” talking about it and “driving people crazy,” and that he would “100%” not run again.

Elon Musk, the eccentric entrepreneur Trump invited in to influence government economics, was criticized harshly by Wiles.

He is a frequent user of the mind-altering drug ketamine, and she described him as “an odd, odd duck.”

She said that when he abruptly shut down USAID, the US government’s overseas assistance agency that performed “very good work,” she was “initially aghast.”

She said that “no sane person could believe the USAID (shutting down) process was a good one.”

Wiles said that she had attempted to prevent Trump from granting pardons to people convicted of acts of violence committed during the riot on January 6, 2021, when his followers stormed the Capitol, declaring that the 2020 elections had been “stolen.”

He nonetheless chose to forgive them.

She said that she made an effort to restrain Trump’s attacks on his political rivals.

The score-settling will stop before the first ninety days are over, according to our vague agreement, she stated.

However, in several instances, the revenge has persisted beyond that date.

She acknowledged that sometimes there “may be an element” of retaliation, but she also said, “Who would blame him? Not me.