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Who is Susie Wiles? Political advisor to become Trump’s chief of staff

by November 8, 2024

The Florida political consultant has helped other senior members of the Florida Republican Party, notably Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott.

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On Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump announced that senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles will be his White House chief of staff.

In a statement obtained by USA TODAY, Trump thanked Wiles for his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Election Day.

“Susie Wiles just helped me win one of the greatest political victories in American history and was an integral part of my successful 2016 and 2020 campaigns,” Trump said in the statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative and widely admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again.”

As Trump’s de facto campaign manager, Wiles will make history by becoming the first woman to hold the title of White House chief of staff.

The 66-year-old political consultant from Florida is a somewhat mysterious figure who is rarely at the forefront of election campaigns or heard about in public.

“She hates the spotlight,” John Delaney told USA TODAY earlier this year. Delaney is a longtime friend and employed Wiles when he was the Republican mayor of Jacksonville, Florida.

Ahead of her high-profile position in the Trump administration, here’s what you should know about Wiles.

Who is Susie Wiles?

Wiles has been described as a big reason for Trump’s political comeback in the White House. In 2018, she helped another Republican win when she led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to his first term in 2018.

With Wiles in the final month of the campaign, DeSantis narrowly achieved the narrowest victory of any governor in Florida history.

DeSantis pressured Trump to fire Wiles from his 2020 campaign in Florida, which he did. This came after DeSantis accused Wiles of leaking a now-controversial fundraising memo that detailed how lobbyists had charged fees for, among other things, playing golf with the governor.

A famous upbringing and experience in politics

Wiles is the daughter of long-time football presenter Pat Summerall, who has worked with football royalty such as John Madden.

“Think about it: Your father was sitting between John Madden and Howard Cosell, two of the biggest personalities, a real pain in the ass, right?” a Trump campaign official told USA TODAY earlier this year. “Really difficult stuff and he was the calming center. And it’s genetic. She has this.”

Her early career in politics included working for New York Representative Jack Kemp and in both the Reagan campaign and administration. She made a name for herself in Florida in 1995 by helping Delaney become the first Republican mayor of Jacksonville since the Reconstruction era.

“She’s a Republican, but not overly conservative at all,” Delaney said in an interview with USA TODAY earlier this year. “Really, you’ll be more impressed with Moderat than anything else. … It would have lagged behind on the environment and gay rights.”

Wiles supported several Republican campaigns in Florida

Trump and DeSantis aren’t the only two high-profile Florida Republicans that Wiles has successfully helped. In 2010, Wiles supported the campaign of Sen. Rick Scott, who won re-election on Tuesday.

This election, Scott was an unknown quantity in Florida politics, but with Wiles’ help he managed to ride in the Tea Party wave of this year’s midterm elections. Riding on a wave of right-wing populism, he defeated his Republican opponent in the primaries and narrowly won the general election.

“Most Republicans were told that if they worked on my campaign in the primary they would never work in Republican politics. “So I will be forever grateful that someone with Susie’s reputation came to work for me,” Scott said, adding that Wiles was “really smart.” She’s a hard worker, she’s a team player, I think she gives really good advice.”

Contributors: David Jackson and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

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