What is ‘alcoholic personality’? Susie Wiles description of Trump that he 'agrees' with
White House Chief of Staff says Trump has “alcoholic personality”; the president responds
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who described President Donald Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality” in a widely-discussed interview by Vanity Fair.
The concept of alcoholic personality has been thrust into conversation after Wiles' comments, especially because Trump does not drink.
The comment, published in Vanity Fair, compared Trump’s intensity and self-confidence with what Wiles, who grew up with an alcoholic father, described as traits she observed in people with alcohol issues. She said high-functioning alcoholics may have “exaggerated personalities” like believing “there’s nothing he can’t do.”
Read more: Did Susie Wiles just confirm Trump's name in Epstein files? Here's the truth
What is an alcoholic personality?
Psychologists and addiction specialists caution that there is no official psychiatric diagnosis called “alcoholic personality.”
Instead, researchers focus on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), a medical condition defined by persistent problematic drinking that causes significant impairment and distress. AUD is diagnosed based on criteria such as inability to cut down, continued use despite harm, and interference with daily life.
A scientific paper from the National Library of Medicine notes that while some studies have associated certain personality traits, such as impulsivity, novelty-seeking, neuroticism, and emotional instability, with increased risk of heavy drinking and AUD.
However, these traits alone do not constitute an “alcoholic personality.” Rather, they may reflect broader psychological profiles that interact with drinking behavior.
Sage Knowledge points out that phrases such as “alcoholic personality” often perpetuate stigma by oversimplifying complex interactions between temperament, environmental influences, and substance use.
Hence, clinicians prefer terms like Alcohol Use Disorder precisely because they are defined in medical diagnostic manuals and avoid implying that personality alone determines addiction.
Read more: Susie Wiles denounces Vanity Fair interview as ‘disingenuously framed hit piece’
What did Trump say?
After the interview was highly reported and gained traction, Trump immediately defended his Chief of Staff.
Trump told The New York Post over a phone call that said that Wiles was right to tell Vanity Fair he has an "alcoholic’s personality" and that he is confident that she is fit to continue in her role.
“No, she meant that I’m — you see, I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality,” Trump said.
Trump has often cited his brother's alcohol induced death as the reason for not drinking. “I’ve said that many times about myself. I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker,” Trump told The New York Post.
Trump also added that Vanity Fair's Chris Wipple misrepresented Wiles's comments and that Wiles did a "fantastic" job on the interview.
“I think from what I hear, the facts were wrong, and it was a very misguided interviewer, purposely misguided,” he said.
He added, “If anybody knows the interviewer, and if they know Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair has totally it’s lost its way. It’s also lost its readers.”
