Chief of Staff Post Goes to Campaign Manager Wiles
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— Susie Wiles, who led Donald Trump’s presidential run, will serve as his White House chief of staff when he retakes the presidency next year, the campaign said Thursday, making her the first woman to hold that role in U.S. history.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said.
“It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in United States history,” he said. “I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Wiles, 67 years old, is known for a steely calm presence and brought a level of professionalism that was sometimes lacking in Trump’s first two presidential bids. She ran Trump’s campaigns in Florida in 2016 and 2020 before taking on the national job for the 2024 run, serving as co-campaign manager alongside Chris LaCivita.
Trump made a point of highlighting the work Wiles did during his victory speech early Wednesday, teasing her for her shy, unassuming nature as she buried herself on stage behind members of his family. While the single-most important person in the campaign, Wiles let Trump get advice and feedback from a number of players.
“I believe somebody capable of running for office at this level is better served by lots of inputs. That’s President Trump’s preferred way to operate. He has so many people he talks to,” Wiles told The Wall Street Journal last week. “Sometimes I am the last one, but I’m rarely the first, and I’m never the only one.”
Those who have worked with Wiles say she is unflappable behind her trademark mirrored sunglasses, avoids the limelight and is quick to give her team credit for her stack of victories.
“Every campaign she’s been involved with, she’s been a calming presence,” longtime Florida lobbyist and Wiles ally Brian Ballard told the Journal. “He saw in her the DNA of a winner.” —Vivian Salama contributed to this article.
