Donald Trump has an “alcoholic’s personality”; JD Vance has been a “conspiracy theorist for a decade”; Elon Musk is an “odd, odd duck”. And the internal divisions were “huge” over Washington’s so-called liberation day tariffs that rattled markets in April and had to be rolled back.

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, delivered those judgments on the president and his inner circle in an explosive interview with Vanity Fair magazine that was published on Tuesday and contained unusually biting critiques of key figures in the administration.

Her comments have emerged as the president is battling low poll numbers, particularly on the economy and inflation, and mounting disquiet within his own “Maga” base that he is not delivering on pledges made during his 2024 presidential campaign.