US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced that his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, will be his White House chief of staff. Wiles, 67, will become the first woman to hold the position in the US history.
“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 said two days after his decisive US election win over Democrat Kamala Harris.
She is “tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected”, the 78-year-old Republican said.
“It is a well-deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history,” he added.
President Donald J. Trump Announces Susan Summerall Wiles as White House Chief of Staff pic.twitter.com/rzU3Zj6d0j
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) November 7, 2024
Wiles, along with fellow campaign manager Chris LaCivita, are credited for Trump’s successful presidential bid.
Trump also gave a shout-out to Wiles during his victory speech on Wednesday.
“We call her the ‘ice baby’… Susie likes to stay in the background,” he said.
US Vice President-elect JD Vance called it a “great news” and said Susie was a “huge asset” to Trump on the campaign.
“She will be a huge asset in the White House. She’s also just a really good person,” he said.
Who Is Susie Wiles
Born on May 14, 1957, Susie Wiles is the daughter of Pat Summerall, who was a prominent football player and sportscaster.
A long-time Florida-based political strategist, she has previously worked on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign and helped Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis win the election in 2018.
Early in her career, she also worked for Republican US representatives Jack Kemp and Tillie Fowler.
Wiles also served briefly as the manager of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr’s 2012 presidential campaign.
She served as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 bids.
