The Morning Meeting

Host: Mark Halperin (2WAY), with Jim & Kristen
Episode: Early Blowback on Susie Wiles Vanity Fair Profile as Ukraine Peace Discussions Grind On
Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the explosive Vanity Fair profile of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, which dropped just before air, upending the planned news rundown. The hosts and panel dissect early Washington reaction, the fallout for Wiles and the Trump administration, and the surprising candor of her on-the-record remarks. In parallel, they discuss the underreported Ukraine peace negotiations, touch on the day's economic and political headlines, and field listener questions on political messaging and the challenges of today's media environment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Susie Wiles Vanity Fair Profile: Immediate Impact

• Bombshell Interview:
  Susie Wiles gave a remarkably candid and critical series of interviews to Chris Whipple, revealing frank opinions about President Trump, his team, and senior officials (03:27).

  • Trump: "has an alcoholic's personality"
  • VP J.D. Vance: “conspiracy theorist for a decade"
  • Elon Musk: "avowed ketamine user...an odd, odd duck"
  • Russ Vought: "right-wing, absolute zealot"
  • AG Pam Bondi: "completely whiffed handling the Epstein files"
  • Claimed she tried to get the president to stop political retribution, but he refused.

• Comparison and Significance:
  Host Mark Halperin likens its impact to the infamous David Stockman interviews in The Atlantic that reverberated through Reagan era DC.
  “It’s not the kind of thing a White House chief of staff should say.” — Mark (02:55)

• Photo and Presentation:
  Vanity Fair’s “extraordinarily posed” group photo and overall feature deepen the sense of spectacle around the interview.

• Washington Fallout:
  Both panelists underscore that Wiles’s long-standing clout insulates her somewhat, but all are stunned by the candor.

  • Kristen: “This is someone who just a week ago the president said was the most powerful woman in the world” (05:57)
  • Jim: “The price of her memoir just went up, although arguably she should save these comments for the memoir and not spill the beans now.” (07:25)

• Political Strategy:
  Discussion of how Wiles should respond, with agreement that fighting the article head-on is risky, especially if Whipple has tapes of their interviews.

  • Kristen: “This reads like an interview of someone who’s moving on to something else. I can’t imagine that’s the case here.” (13:08)
  • Jim: “If that’s demonstrably a fact, that might be worth putting out. But getting in a fight with the reporter is usually not the way to go...” (12:17)

2. Media Reactions and MAGA World

• Cable News and GOP Response:
  Highlights GOP leadership caught flat-footed during live television as news of the story breaks.

  • When read the quotes live, House Leader Scalise downplays Wiles’ comments and pivots to praising her and the president, noting Trump “doesn’t even drink alcohol” (11:11).

• Online/Real-world Divide:
  Kristen: “There’s the real world response, then there’s the Twitter world response. And so you really need to see in the next two hours which one is louder.” (05:57)

• Importance of Audio Evidence:
  If Whipple’s interviews were taped and released, damage for Wiles could be compounded. (13:08)

3. Ukraine Peace Negotiations: Why So Little Coverage?

• Background:
  Mark expresses surprise at the lack of cable news focus on the high-stakes Ukraine-Russia peace process, noting European, not US, outlets covered Zelensky’s speech live (02:33).

• Negotiations Status (16:25):

  • Intensive talks ongoing, including US involvement through Trump’s team.
  • Christmas ceasefire “not in the cards,” with Putin’s camp dismissing proposals as “a pause to regroup.”
  • Zelensky at The Hague: “It cannot be that war criminals travel freely across Europe or the world as if they were tourists.” (17:49)

• Accountability for War Crimes:
  Host notes the contradiction between peace negotiations that might hinge on welcoming Putin back “into the community of nations” versus demands for war crimes prosecution (16:50).

• Likelihood of Peace:

  • Jim: “There must be some signs of progress. Both sides must be fed up with the war and hopefully it…reaches a better conclusion.” (20:00)
  • Polymarket tracks only a 12% chance of a ceasefire by January’s end, suggesting outside bettors are less bullish than the panel. Kristen reasons it’s “two steps forward, two steps back” and doesn’t expect rapid resolution (21:04).

4. The Economy, Political Messaging, and the VP

• Jobs Report:

  • Latest numbers disappoint with only modest job growth and a rising unemployment rate — “not great, but not a disaster” (22:57).

• VP J.D. Vance’s Public Persona:

  • Vance is traveling Pennsylvania, visiting swing districts, to rally economic support. Kristen highlights the strategic significance of the locations (23:26).
  • Vance’s combative presence on social media, especially regarding Israel and anti-Semitism, draws criticism for tone.
    • Example quote: “To write an article about…generational divide in antisemitism without discussing the demographics…is mind boggling… I would say there’s a difference between not liking Israel… and antisemitism.” (24:58)
  • Jim: “He risks coming across as too smart for his own good…I think he should tone it down.” (26:17)

5. Media Reluctance to Discuss Islamic Extremism

• Coverage Critique:
  Host points to the media tendency to quickly shift away from labeling violent acts as “Islamic terrorism” in favor of more generic coverage (27:07).

• Recent Example:
  Australian PM confirmed ISIS motivation in Hanukkah attack, yet media focuses on general antisemitism.

• Double Standards:
  Kristen: “Had it been a radical…white supremacist, we would be talking about it all day long…” (30:55).

6. Health Care and Congressional Stalemate

• Obamacare Subsidies and Legislative Gridlock:
  • Ongoing House negotiations on health care, with a looming deadline and little progress.
  • Jim and Kristen agree: Congress is likely to “kick the can” rather than resolve tough issues directly (32:24, 32:50).
  • Stand-alone health care negotiations are unlikely; will probably get lumped into shutdown avoidance talks.

7. Trump’s Social Media Missteps and Teflon Threshold

• Recent Tweet Criticized:

  • Discussion of President Trump’s ungracious tweet following Rob Reiner’s murder, which many conservatives criticized as “less than humane.”
    • Scott Jennings: “The correct answer here…and the advice I would have given him, is just put it in your pocket…someone was tragically murdered.” (37:01)

• Does It Matter Politically?

  • Jim: “It was clearly a mistake…but it does go on the long list…” (38:07)
  • Kristen: “Trump is a different case. He already has 99 name ID. So he’s able to get away with things other people aren’t…” (43:13)

• Advice for Other Republicans:

  • Kristen: “The danger…is that there will be people who try to emulate it. Don’t take that bait. You’re not going to be Donald Trump…you won’t be given the grace and forgiveness that Trump usually gets.” (52:11)

8. Other Political Headlines & Notable Moments

• Brown University Killing and Institutional Trust:
  Ongoing conspiracy theories due to a slow and uncertain police investigation, especially given national scrutiny of elite institutions (40:16–41:36, 57:01–59:38).

• Gavin Newsom and the “Double Standard” Trap:
  Newsom’s visibility and scrutiny from both left and right resemble Disney’s treatment in culture wars.

  • Jim: “I think it’s good for him. I think he welcomes it in some way…” (42:55)
  • Kristin: “I think every other potential Democrat nominee wishes that they were getting that treatment right now…my concern…[it’s] so early.” (43:18)

• Nancy Pelosi/Stock Trading Ban:
  NYT finally covers the Speaker’s long resistance to a congressional stock trading ban, with panelists viewing the timing as self-serving (44:43–45:41).

• Listener/Uplifting Moment:
  Yakov from Brooklyn, deeply affected by the Sydney Hanukkah attack, puts forth a call to community kindness and offers free menorahs to spread light during Hanukkah:

  • “Let’s fill the world—with light.” (55:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Susie Wiles Story:

  • Mark: “It’s all jaw-dropping…she must have known saying these things to someone writing for Vanity Fair would create what we call in Connecticut a kerfuffle.” (14:04)
  • Kristen: “Every consultant, politico group chat I have right now is popping off saying, oh my gosh, can you believe it?” (05:57)
  • Jim: “The price of her memoir, the price tag on her memoirs just went up, although arguably she should save these comments for the memoir and not spill the beans now.” (07:25)

• On Cable News and GOP’s Response:

  • House Leader Scalise: “I know Susie. She’s the hardest working person up in D.C. with the hardest working president in America, Donald Trump. By the way, he doesn’t even drink alcohol…” (11:07)

• On Ukraine/Peace Talks:

  • Zelensky: “It cannot be that war criminals travel freely across Europe or the world as if they were tourists.” (17:49)
  • Jim: “The question is whether Putin’s going to be Grinch or Scrooge… there must be some signs of progress.” (20:00)

• On the Vice President:

  • Jim: “He risks coming across as too smart for his own good. I think he should tone it down.” (26:17)

• On Political Imitators:

  • Kristen: “You’re not going to be Donald Trump. You shouldn’t try to be.” (52:11)

• On Media & Islamic Terror:

  • Kristen: “Had it been a radical…white supremacist, we would be talking about it all day long and every Republican politician would be asked about it today.” (30:55)

• Listener Yakov:

  • “Let’s fill the world, especially during the holiday season, with light…I’m going to send whoever wants Hanukkah menorah and candles, and in addition to that, a Hanukkah light…Spread the light.” (55:08–56:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Bombshell Susie Wiles quotes: 03:55–07:25
• Impact discussion & political fallout: 05:57–14:04
• GOP response on live television: 10:00–11:11
• Advice on Wiles’s response: 12:17–13:08
• Ukraine peace update: 16:25–21:47
• Polymarket betting angle: 21:04
• Jobs report & VP travel: 22:06–23:26
• VP’s Twitter and Israel discussion: 24:58–26:17
• Media reluctance on terror: 27:07–31:04
• Health care gridlock: 32:24–34:26
• Trump’s tweet about Reiner: 36:49–38:43
• Conspiracy questions on Brown killing: 40:16–41:36, 57:01–59:38
• Listener Yakov’s call for kindness and light: 53:22–56:30
• Ending: Will Wiles respond on camera?: 61:58–63:18

Tone and Style

• Lively, fast-paced, news conference–style exchanges with a mix of urgency, candor, and behind-the-scenes insight.
• Regular interrupts, witty interjections, and frank assessments typical of insiders.
• Mark sets the agenda with big energy and pivots nimbly between stories. Kristen and Jim provide expert, at times contrarian, analysis.

Bottom Line

This episode was dominated by the unprecedented Susie Wiles profile bombshell. The panel weighed the implications for the Trump White House, the MAGA base, and the DC ecosystem—juxtaposed against the slow churn of historic Ukraine peace talks and a hectic winter news cycle. The show balanced deep inside-the-room reporting with reflective, at times soul-searching, listener calls and moments of real-world community building.

For listeners who missed it:
You’ll come away understanding why the Vanity Fair interview is the most viral Beltway story of the day, what’s at stake with Ukraine’s negotiations, and how the personalities steering the GOP are both benefiting from and confounded by modern media dynamics. The panel’s advice for politicians: Don't try to out-Trump Trump, and “spread the light” however you can.