Donald Trump announced his first staffing choices for his administration Thursday, naming longtime Republican political operative Susie Wiles, who worked on all three of his presidential campaigns, as his White House chief of staff. Wiles will be the first woman to hold the position.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said in a statement. He also praised her for helping him achieve “one of the greatest political victories in American history.”
As a campaign operative, Wiles, 67, is respected by both Republican and Democratic strategists. She was co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and is often credited with injecting order into his chaotic political organization.
She worked on several prominent GOP campaigns, including those of Sens. Rick Scott and Mitt Romney and of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose flailing 2018 campaign she’s credited with saving. After a falling out with DeSantis, Wiles joined Trump’s 2024 campaign and subsequently powered the governor’s downfall in the Republican primary.
The daughter of the late NFL legend Pat Summerall, Wiles is known as an effective operative with ties to MAGA leaders and the Republican establishment. She has also managed to withstand Trump’s management style, being the only campaign manager to have lasted an entire Trump campaign, according to The New York Times.








