President-elect Donald Trump has chosen the co-chair of his campaign, Susie Wiles, to be his White House chief of staff, making the veteran political operative the first woman to serve in that role and soon to be one of the most powerful women in Washington.
Daughter of the late NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall and architect of multiple successful Florida gubernatorial campaigns, Wiles, 67, helped Trump win the Sunshine State in both 2016 and 2020 before helping him win the presidency this year.
Wiles, who has far more experience in Florida politics than she does in Washington, has been credited with instilling discipline and poise in the Trump campaign.
“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 in a Nov. 7 statement.
She also rarely gives public remarks, and declined an opportunity to speak before Trump’s acceptance speech on election night.
Here are six things to know about Wiles.
From Washington to Florida Politics
Wiles began her political career as a staff assistant for Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) from 1979 until 1980. She then worked as the deputy director of scheduling during President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign before serving as special assistant to the president from 1981 until 1982 in the Executive Office of the President.
Continuing in the executive branch, Wiles joined the U.S. Department of Labor as special assistant to Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan until 1983. She was a principal of the Jacksonville, Florida-based government affairs firm Summerall, Smith & Wiles until 1986.
Wiles returned to Washington politics in 1988, working as the deputy director of operations for the vice presidential campaign of then-candidate Dan Quayle, the running mate of Republican George H.W. Bush, who was elected president later that year. She then joined Rep. Tillie K. Fowler (R-Fla.), serving as district director from 1992 until 1995.
Wiles was also the senior executive in the office of Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney, a Republican, from 1995 to 1996 before being promoted to his chief of staff.
By Jacob Bur
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