If you did not believe it already, then you should believe it now: the Republican Party faces an internal conflict.
Fortunately, Vice President J.D. Vance showed once again on Tuesday morning that he has the political chops to defend the populist, America First elements of President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement against the Republican establishment and its subtle acts of sabotage.
While speaking at an economic event in Pennsylvania, Vance responded to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ jaw-dropping interview with Vanity Fair, published Tuesday, in which Wiles referred to the vice president as a political opportunist and “conspiracy theorist.”
“Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist,” Vance said, “but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true.”
What a fantastic response to that comment from Wiles, who many regard as an establishment voice.
Indeed, Vance kept things light but also substantive.
“For example,” the vice president said, “I believed in the crazy conspiracy theory back in 2020 that it was stupid to mask three-year-olds at the height of the COVID pandemic — that we should actually let them develop some language skills.”
The vice president added that he also subscribed to other conspiracy theories.
“I believed in this crazy conspiracy theory that the media and the government were covering up the fact that Joe Biden was clearly unable to do the job,” Vance said. “And I believed in the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was trying to throw his political opponents in jail rather than win an argument against his political opponents.”
“So,” Vance continued, “at least on some of these conspiracy theories it turns out that a conspiracy theory is just something that was true six months before the media admitted it.”
For her part, Wiles blamed Vanity Fair.
“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history,” Wiles wrote Tuesday on the social media platform X.
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”
The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.
Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the…
— Susie Wiles (@SusieWiles) December 16, 2025
To his credit, Vance spent several minutes brushing off the interview comments. He even paid Wiles a compliment by comparing her authenticity to that of Trump.
But make no mistake. The vice president also sent two subtle and yet clear messages.
First, he spoke up for Trump’s base against Republican power brokers.
“As much as I love Susie,” Vance said, “the American people didn’t elect any staffer. They elected the president of the United States.”
The vice president made that comment in the context of praising Wiles’ loyalty to Trump. One would have to grossly underestimate Vance’s savviness, however, not to read it as a message to the GOP establishment.
Second, Vance said that administration officials should give “fewer interviews to mainstream media outlets.” Whether the vice president meant it that way or not, it sounded like a politely worded chastisement of Wiles.
Readers may view Vance’s comments in the YouTube video below.
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Vance, of course, used his genial nature to defuse an awkward situation.
Meanwhile, Wiles’ decision to give Vanity Fair a series of extended interviews defies explanation. Thus, we can only guess why she did it.
We can say, however, that the chief of staff has developed a reputation as a GOP establishment insider. Peruse X, for instance, and before long you will come across the epithet “Swampy Susie.”
“You Can’t Have Swampy Susie Running The White House!”
WH Chief Of Staff Susie Wiles Defends The Deep State & Is Extremely Problematic For President Trump’s Agenda, Warns Constitutional Lawyer Robert Barnes@barnes_law pic.twitter.com/EArZzpmeJL
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) July 29, 2025
If this were factually TRUE, you wouldn’t have to make a post to sing her praises, because we would already know!
And believe me, we KNOW who Swampy Susie Wiles is, and WHY this administration is nothing more than a sinking ship that’s taking all of us all down with it!
— Political Junkie (@DrilllBabyDrill) December 16, 2025
We tried to warn Trump not to trust that subversive swamp creature Susie Wiles back in the summer of 2024 but were ignored.
Now she’s gossiping with journalist scum. Sad! pic.twitter.com/jdFX77z67g
— David Zsutty (@DavidZsutty) December 16, 2025
In short, the vice president handled the “conspiracy theorist” comment with grace and humor.
Nonetheless, no one should mistake that response for a capitulation to the GOP establishment.
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