Harald Staun says Susie Wiles staged a carefully timed Vanity Fair interview to shape public opinion, after the magazine ran a package that included Christopher Anderson’s close-up portraits and a profile by Chris Whipple.Wiles’s blunt lines — including that Donald Trump has “the personality of an alcoholic,” that JD Vance has been “a conspiracy theorist for a decade,” and that Elon Musk is “a funny bird” — made global headlines and prompted both fierce defense from allies and ridicule on social media.The White House accused Vanity Fair of trying to humiliate staff while Anderson defended his unretouched approach, Wiles called coverage a “deceitful smear campaign,” and critics and lawmakers say the episode deepens debate over media ethics, West Wing culture and the role of staged political theater.