US president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named his campaign manager Susan Wiles aka Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, making her the first woman ever to hold this powerful position in any administration.
Wiles was the campaign manager for Trump’s highly successful 2024 Campaign for President.
While announcing Wiles' appointment, Trump said, “Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well-deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in the United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud."
“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump added.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” said the president-elect.
Who Is Susie Wiles?
Susie Wiles, the daughter of NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, is a well-known Republican strategist who has played a major role in several important political campaigns.
She started her career in the 1970s working with New York Republican Jack Kemp and later joined Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in the 1980s.
Wiles’ influence grew when she moved to Florida, where she advised two mayors in Jacksonville and worked with Republican Congresswoman Tillie Fowler.
She became a key figure in national politics during the 2016 election, where she helped lead Donald Trump’s campaign in Florida, a critical state that was key to his win.
In 2018, she played a major role in Ron DeSantis’s successful run for Florida governor, although a later disagreement between them led to her managing Trump’s Florida operations again in the 2020 election.
Wiles is credited with running one of Trump’s most organized and successful campaigns, especially in Florida, both in 2016 and 2020. Her strategic skills earned her respect within Trump’s team, though she mostly stayed out of the public eye.
In addition to her work with Trump, Wiles ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly managed Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Throughout her career, she has been known for her ability to lead successful campaigns at both the state and national levels, particularly in Florida.
