President-elect Donald Trump was named campaign chairman on Thursday Susie Wiles like him The White House the first chief of staff, one of the most important non-elected posts in Washington.
She will be the first woman to serve in this position.
Wiles, 67, of Florida, is one of the most respected operatives in Republican politics. In addition to leading Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he served as state director in Florida for two previous contests.
“Susie Wiles helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history and was an integral part of my successful campaigns in both 2016 and 2020,” Trump said in a statement Thursday. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative and universally liked and respected.”
Trump called the 2020 campaign “successful” even though he lost to President Joe Biden. For years, he continues to make baseless allegations about the theft of that election.
Before joining Trump’s team, Wiles helped Rick Scott win as governor of Florida in 2010. He is currently a US Senator. Wiles was also brought in to rescue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2018 campaign, which he won after initially sinking.
After Trump’s landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, there was a strong sense that Wiles was the front-runner to become White House chief of staff.
“If he wants it, that’s his,” a Trump adviser told NBC News on Thursday morning. “The fact that he was standing next to Trump and what he just pulled [winning by a huge margin]makes it an easy choice if he wants to.”
It turns out that Wiles wanted the position, and now his role as de facto chief of staff will become official as the work of building a new administration begins.
Wiles is the daughter of famous American football player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, and her professional roots date back to the 1970s in Republican politics.
He began as an aide to Jack Kemp in the House of Representatives in 1979, served as private secretary to former Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan during the Reagan administration, and spent considerable time earlier in his career as a senior staffer in Jacksonville, Florida. Republican mayors John Delaney and John Peyton.
He entered Trump’s orbit ahead of the 2016 election cycle when Trump was looking for someone to help him navigate Florida’s sometimes choppy political waters. He was entering a crowded pool of Republican candidates that included former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio.
“I was told you know something about Florida,” Trump told Wiles on the phone for the first time, according to NBC News. informed in March.
Following that phone call, Wills visited Trump Tower in New York. He finally hired her.
Since then, she has generally been part of his inner circle. In addition to working for DeSantis in 2016, when their relationship soured, Wiles also worked in the private sector for the lobbying firm Ballard Partners and mercury, public relations firm. He remained with Mercury throughout the 2024 presidential contest.
Wiles did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night about his new position.
The hiring of Wiles as chief of staff was met with overwhelmingly positive response from Republicans.
“Congratulations Susie!” Rick Scott, his former boss, Posted in X. “He is the perfect person for this role. He has been my friend since I ran my first race for Governor in 2010.
“He knows how to build a great team, is a real leader, a reliable advisor and a brilliant tactician,” he said.
“Susie is the best,” Donald Trump Jr. placed on social media. “Very well deserved.”
Trump Jr. is seen as the ultimate gatekeeper for administration jobs, NBC News informed Thursday, so his confirmation is seen as an important indicator.