Susie Wiles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wiles in 2025 | |
| 32nd White House Chief of Staff | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | |
| Preceded by | Jeff Zients |
| Chief of Staff to theMayor of Jacksonville | |
| In office November 20, 1997 – November 17, 2000 | |
| Mayor | John Delaney |
| Preceded by | Rick Mullaney |
| Succeeded by | Audrey McKibbin Moran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-05-14)May 14, 1957 (age 68) Lake City, Florida, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) |
Susan L. Wiles (née Summerall; born May 14, 1957) is an American political consultant and lobbyist who has served as the 32ndWhite House chief of staff since January 2025.
Wiles graduated from theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, in 1978. While attending university, she began working forNew York representativeJack Kemp. Wiles later worked forRonald Reagan's1980 presidential campaign in his scheduling office, in theWhite House Office of Scheduling and Advance, and forRaymond J. Donovan, thesecretary of labor. Wiles served as the district director forTillie Fowler's 1992 campaign to representFlorida's fourth congressional district. She worked within the administration ofJacksonville mayorJohn Delaney and served as his chief of staff from 1997 to 2000. Wiles later served inJohn Peyton's administration.
In the2010 Florida gubernatorial election, Wiles worked asRick Scott's campaign manager. After Scott's victory, she served asJon Huntsman Jr.'s campaign manager forhis presidential campaign, though she resigned after less than a month amid a dispute withJohn Weaver. In October 2015, Wiles was hired as a Florida campaign chairwoman forDonald Trump's2016 presidential campaign. She became his campaign manager for Florida in September 2016. After Trump won that year'spresidential election, Wiles moved toWashington, D.C., to leadBallard Partners withBrian Ballard. In September 2018, she was hired to leadRon DeSantis's campaign for the2018 Florida gubernatorial election.
In 2021, Wiles was appointed to lead then-former President Donald Trump's fundraising apparatus, includingSave America. She assumed a dominant role in Trump's political activities in between his first and second presidency, including his travel, fundraising, and endorsements in the2022 elections. After Trump announced his presidential campaign in November 2022, Wiles was named as his campaign manager alongsideChris LaCivita. After his victory in the2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump announced that Wiles would serve as his White House chief of staff. She is the first woman to hold the position.
Susan L. Summerall[1] was born on May 14, 1957,[2][3] inLake City, Florida.[3] She was the first child ofPat Summerall[4] and Katharine Jacobs.[5][6][a] Pat was a professional football player before becoming a televisionsportscaster in 1962.[7] After the1958 NFL season, the Summeralls returned to Lake City.[8] They moved tothe Bronx the following year for the1959 season,[9] living temporarily in theConcourse Plaza Hotel.[3] Pat suffered from alcoholism; in an interview with theArkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2010, he stated that his drinking problems began after he retired following the1961 season and started working forCBS Sports.[10]
The Summeralls lived inStamford, Connecticut[11] for three years before moving into a large home inSaddle River, New Jersey, in July 1967.[5] In his autobiographySummerall: On and Off the Air (2006), Pat stated that Katharine "raised our children virtually on her own" and that he had "failed them as a father in the most critical years" in favor of his sports career.[12] Summerall played basketball and tennis, as well as ran track and field.[6] She was a member of theGirl Scouts of the USA troop that her mother ran.[5] Summerall is anEpiscopalian.[6] She graduated from theAcademy of the Holy Angels inDemarest, New Jersey, in 1975[1] and from theUniversity of Maryland, College Park in 1978.[13]
In May 1978, Summerall began working forNew York representativeJack Kemp as a receptionist[14][15] and later an aide,[16] from her father's connection to him;[13] Pat and Kemp had played for theNew York Giants in 1958.[17] She continued to work for him by the following April.[18] Summerall worked forRonald Reagan's1980 presidential campaign in his scheduling office.[4] By May 1981, she had worked in theWhite House Office of Scheduling and Advance.[19] By 1984,[3] she married Lanny Wiles, whom she had met while working for Reagan's campaign.[4] They had two children before divorcing in 2017.[20] In one of her final assignments, Susie helped Reagan prepare for a ten-day trip toEurope in June 1982.[4] By then, she had become a personal secretary forRaymond J. Donovan, thesecretary of labor.[21] She left her position by 1984.[13]
The Wileses moved toPonte Vedra Beach[13] in 1985.[22] That year, Wiles worked for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and ledJacksonville mayorJake Godbold's public relations team. After the birth of her second child, she went on sabbatical.[13] By 1988, she had been living inArcadia, where she was a member of theFlorida Chamber of Commerce ofDeSoto County and received an honor for co-leading the organization's women's forums that year.[23] Wiles returned to work that year as the head of campaign scheduling and advance work forDan Quayle. In May 1991, the Wileses filed for federal bankruptcy protection after a failed hotel development deal inNorth Carolina indebted Lanny. She served as the district director forTillie Fowler's 1992 campaign to representFlorida's fourth congressional district. After the campaign, she ran Fowler's local offices.[13]
In 1995, Wiles began working asJacksonville mayorJohn Delaney's director of communications and intergovernmental affairs.[13] In April 1996, Wiles became his deputy chief of staff,[24] and in November 1997,[25] she became the city's first female chief of staff.[6] Wiles was key to theBetter Jacksonville Plan and was the point person on the Preservation Project.[26] Her tenure was marked by concerns that she had controlled the flow of information reaching Delaney.[13] Wiles resigned in November 2000 to enter the private sector.[26] She toldThe Florida Times-Union that her exit would allow her to spend more time with her family and to leave a "high-pressure job".[26] Wiles became the chief operating officer of The Vestcor Companies the following month,[27] but left after less than a month.[28] In February 2001, she became a vice president atAPCO Worldwide, a public affairs firm.[28]
By March 2003, she had become a spokeswoman forMike Weinstein,[29] and later forJohn Peyton, Delaney's eventual successor.[30] She began serving as Peyton chief of special initiatives and communications in August.[31] Wiles oversaw Peyton's key initiatives, including early literacy, restoring theSt. Johns River, and an anti-crime program. In June 2008, she stepped down to spend time with her family and travel.[32] By February 2009, Wiles had worked forRepublic Services; concurrently, Peyton sought aUS$750 million proposal forWaste Management to continue operating Jacksonville's landfill. She resigned from her position in response to a request from Peyton.[33] In October, Wiles joined IF Marketing & Advertising, a marketing firm founded by formerJacksonville Jaguars playerTony Boselli that was set to open an office in Jacksonville.[34] Additionally, Boselli and Wiles ranBallard Partners's Jacksonville office by July 2011.[35] She assisted in Mullaney's mayoral campaign for the2011 election.[36]
In April 2010,Rick Scott announced that he would run forgovernor of Florida in that year'sgubernatorial election. Wiles joined Scott's campaign a week later as his campaign manager.[36] After Scott's victory in November, she served as his transition legislative liaison.[37] After Scott's inauguration in January 2011, Wiles led apolitical action committee in advance of formerUtah governorJon Huntsman Jr.'s possible presidential campaign.[38] In June, Huntsman named Wiles as the national campaign manager forhis 2012 campaign.[39] The following month, she left Huntsman's struggling[40] campaign, telling theMiami Herald that "it was just time".[41] Wiles's decision was viewed byThe New York Times as "the first serious sign of concern" for the campaign.[42] According toPolitico,John Weaver, a strategist for Huntsman, had an internal feud with Wiles and forced her ouster.[43] Wiles later supported formerMassachusetts governorMitt Romney inhis presidential campaign, becoming a co-chair of his Florida advisory council in December.[44] She served as the interim director of theJacksonville Civic Council from February[45] to September 2013.[46] Wiles was a senior advisor to mayorLenny Curry[47] and served as his initial policy director.[48] She lobbied for the tobacco companySwisher.[49]
In October 2015, Wiles was named as aFlorida campaign chairwoman forDonald Trump's2016 presidential campaign alongsideJoe Gruters.[50] According to theTampa Bay Times,Brian D. Ballard introduced Wiles to Trump, who was delighted that Wiles's father wasPat Summerall.[51] Her role was described byThe New York Times as "pivotal" in connecting Trump with local activists and political figures.[52] She was named as a delegate for Florida at the2016 Republican National Convention in May 2016.[53] Wiles became Trump's Florida campaign manager after he removed Karen Giorno—who had clashed with Trump campaign officials[54]—in September.[55] Her strategy involved incorporating Trump's bombastic style with theRepublican National Committee's ground operations,[56] though the campaign's own ground game in Florida suffered from funding issues.[57] According toConfidence Man (2022), amid polls showingHillary Clinton beating Trump in Florida, Trump berated Wiles over his performance in the state and an advertisement that was aired without her consent.[58] In the weeks leading up tothe election, she pushed for anabsentee ballot program. Trump laterwon the state and the election.[59] Inhis report, special counselRobert Mueller detailedRussian interference in the election, particularly in Florida, where Russian nationals misled Trump officials into appearing at rallies they held and funded. Wiles toldPolitico that campaign staff were unaware of Russian operatives.[60] Concurrently, she worked for Ballard Partners.[61]
Following Trump'sfirst inauguration in January 2017, Wiles joined Ballard in his eponymous firm'sWashington, D.C. office.[62] That year, she divorced from Lanny.[6] In September 2018, former representativeRon DeSantis appointed Wiles as the chair of his faltering gubernatorial campaign in the2018 election.[63] DeSantis's decision was indicative of Trump's influence on the election[64] and shifted negative attention away from the campaign,[65] improving DeSantis's polling numbers.[66] Wiles led DeSantis's transition efforts, including hiring his chief of staff,Shane Strum.[67] She left the DeSantis campaign to handle theRepublican Party's operations in Florida, setting off a feud between her and Strum.[68] State Republicans, led by Strum and first ladyCasey DeSantis, sought to oust associates of Wiles within the party, leading to Ron distancing himself from the party apparatus.[69] In September 2019, a leaked internal memorandum detailing how DeSantis's political team could charge lobbyists for access intensified the conflict, with close advisors to Ron accusing Wiles of leaking the document.[70] Trump's2020 campaign severed ties with Wiles at Ron's behest, according toPolitico.[71]The New York Times later reported that the move, though agreed to by Trump and the campaign managerBrad Parscale, infuriated several Trump advisors who believed that Wiles would be able to win the state.[72] That day, Wiles toldFlorida Politics that she had left Ballard Partners, citing health reasons.[73]
Amid polls showingJoe Biden beating Trump in Florida, advisors urged Trump to rehire Wiles. According toPolitico, Trump brought up bringing her back to DeSantis in a call from theOval Office; Trump purportedly recalled that "Ron lost his shit."[74] By June 2020, Trump was considering rehiring Wiles.[75] The following month, she returned to the Trump campaign as an unpaid advisor to organizers of theRepublican National Convention. In apparent response, DeSantis directed his fundraiser, Heather Barker, to tell donors that they should not donate to the convention.[76] Wiles was among several Florida Republicans advocating for Trump to nominateBarbara Lagoa to theSupreme Court following thedeath of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.[77] Wiles's influence in the Trump campaign increased in the months leading up tothe election, withDavid Bossie tasked with separating her from DeSantis and her suggestions to win Florida being implemented.[78]
In March 2021, following his loss, Trump named Wiles to lead his fundraising operations, includingSave America, a political action committee. Wiles asked Trump to cover cover only her travel expenses.[79] By June, her role had diminished as he relocated tohis golf club inBedminster, New Jersey.[80] InVirginia, Wiles was credited withGlenn Youngkin's victory in that year'sgubernatorial election by strategically distancing Youngkin from Trump.[81]Jeff Roe, a political consultant, toldPolitico Magazine that he "worked with Susie Wiles the whole way through."[82] She joined Mercury Public Affairs as a co-chair of global public strategy in February 2022.[83]
Wiles managed much of Trump's post-presidential activities, including his travel, fundraising, and endorsements for the2022 elections.[79] She established a vetting process for endorsements[84] that involved polling and field research,[85] though she also worked to influence Trump's recommendations.[86] Leading up to the2022 Senate election in Arizona, Wiles andPeter Thiel advocated forBlake Masters in the Republican primary.[86] At Wiles's suggestion,Chris Kise joined Trump's legal team to represent him in theclassified documents case.[87] She led a successful effort to eliminateLiz Cheney, a representative who opposed Trump, in that year's Republican primary forWyoming's at-large district.[88] In November, Trump announced that he was running in the 2024 election.His campaign opted to divide the campaign manager role between Wiles andChris LaCivita, a political consultant.[89]The New York Times referred to Wiles as "perhaps the most significant voice" within Trump's campaign.[90] She privately supportedRonna McDaniel's successful fourth campaign forchair of the Republican National Committee[91] and informally advisedDaniel Davis in his campaign in the2023 Jacksonville mayoral election.[92] As Trump'slegal issues mounted throughout 2023, Wiles was responsible for paying lawyers[93] and for ensuring delegates will be loyal to Trump.[94] According toABC News, Trump showed Wiles—who was unnamed in the classified documents indictment—a map of an "ongoing military operation".[95]
Following Donald Trump's victory in the2024 presidential election, Wiles was expected to be named as hisWhite House chief of staff, though Trump had consideredBrooke Rollins, a figure distrusted by many of Trump's advisors.[96] The day after Trump was declared the victor, he named her as his chief of staff, the first woman to hold the post.[97] According toThe New York Times, Wiles did not dissociate from Mercury Public Affairs until Trump's announcement.[49] Wiles tentatively established a staff structure in which thePresidential Personnel Office would serve beneath the Office of Cabinet Affairs, set to be managed byTaylor Budowich.[98]
In December 2024, Trump replacedBill McGinley, who was set to assume the position ofWhite House counsel, withDavid Warrington, a choice Wiles preferred.[99] That same month, Debra OConnell, the president of ABC News, dined with Wiles; the dinner occurred days before the network announced it would settle a lawsuit with Trump over on-air statements made byGeorge Stephanopoulos.[100]
As chief of staff, Wiles was involved in negotiating the prisoner exchange between the Russian entrepreneurAlexander Vinnik and the American schoolteacherMarc Fogel in February 2025.[101] That month, Trump fired the board of theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and named Wiles, among other loyalists, to the board.[102] She was named inAssociated Press v. Budowich (2025), a lawsuit filed by theAssociated Press against Trump officials who blocked the news agency from press events and locations over its stance on theGulf of Mexico naming controversy; Wiles had emailed the Associated Press, alleging that the apparent influence ofits stylebook had been "misused, and at times weaponized, to push a divisive and partisan agenda."[103] According toPolitico, Wiles and her deputy chiefs of staff were unaware of and infuriated by an email sent by theDepartment of Government Efficiency later that month requiring federal employees list five accomplishments in the prior week;Elon Musk, an advisor to Trump, asserted onX that failing to respond to the email would be grounds for termination.[104]
In May 2025,The Wall Street Journal reported that a federal investigation into an effort to impersonate Wiles had been initiated. Wiles told associates that the contacts list on her personal phone had been hacked.[105] The following month, theJournal reported that Vice PresidentJD Vance and Wiles had urged Musk to reconcile his differences with Trump after the two menpublicly feuded.[106]
Media related toSusie Wiles at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | White House Chief of Staff 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byas United States Secretary of Homeland Security | Order of precedence of the United States as White House Chief of Staff | Succeeded byas Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency |
Members of theCabinet of the United States | ||
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| Cabinet members |  | |
| Cabinet-level members | ||
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