President-elect Donald Trump announced that Susie Wiles, his campaign co-chair, will be his new White House chief of staff on Thursday, marking the first time a woman has been picked for the coveted role. Wiles, nicknamed the "Ice Maiden," is widely recognized as one of the primary strategists behind Trump's successful presidential campaign.
Wiles led the campaign that drove Trump to a historic victory over Kamala Harris on Tuesday night. Working mostly behind the scenes, Wiles is known as one of the most formidable and effective political strategists in the country. She stood by his side as he celebrated his win with family and staff in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Architect of Trump's Win
"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, 78, said in a statement.
Wiles, 67, managed the Trump-Vance campaign with senior adviser Chris LaCivita. Known for working out of the spotlight, she maintained a notably low public presence during the soon-to-be 47th president's third run for the White House.
Trump acknowledged Wiles in his victory speech early Wednesday. "The job you did! Come here Susie," Trump said, inviting her to the podium. "Susie likes to stay sort of in the back, let me tell you. The Ice Maiden. We call her the Ice Maiden," he told the crowd.
"Susie likes to stay in the background. She's not in the background," Trump continued.
When Wiles turned down Trump's invitation to speak, the Republican nominee joked, "Look at this, she's shy."
"I've never seen her be shy before. Susie!"
'Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,' he added.
Trump Secret Weapon to Victory
Wiles, the daughter of the legendary NFL player and broadcaster late Pat Summerall, entered national politics in 1980 when she joined Republican Ronald Reagan's winning campaign as a scheduler.
She later worked in Florida politics, initially for Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney and subsequently as an advisor to Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.
In 2010, Wiles also played a pivotal role in helping current Sen. Rick Scott secure the position of Florida governor.
She also had a short stint working on former Utah Governor John Huntsman's 2012 presidential campaign.
"If you don't know her, you soon will, but @susie57 will go down as one of the greatest campaign strategists. To the democrats [sic] detriment she has been a part of all the winning campaigns in Florida," Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) posted on X Wednesday.
In 2016, Wiles managed Trump's campaign operations in Florida. She also contributed to Ron DeSantis's winning gubernatorial campaign in 2018, and he praised her as the "best in the business" in his victory speech.
However, their relationship later soured, leading DeSantis to advise Trump to distance himself from Wiles during the 2020 campaign. Despite this, Trump ultimately brought her back, and she remained loyal to him as DeSantis launched his unsuccessful primary bid against the president-elect.
By March 2021, Wiles was working as CEO of the Trump-supporting Save America PAC and played a key role in his political activities up until the launch of his 2024 presidential campaign in November 2022, which she promptly took command of.
Although she usually stayed out of the spotlight, Wiles recently issued a response to billionaire Mark Cuban's remark suggesting that Trump lacked strong, intelligent women in his inner circle—a comment he later retracted.
"I'm told [Cuban] needs help identifying the strong and intelligent women surrounding Pres. Trump. Well, here we are! I've been proud to lead this campaign," she shot back in a rare X post.
The White House chief of staff manages the administration's daily operations and advises the president, among other important duties.
During his first term, Trump went through four chiefs of staff: Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney—who served in an acting capacity—and Mark Meadows.
He first initially appointed Priebus, then chair of the Republican National Committee, as chief of staff, though the role proved unsuitable for Priebus, who left after six months and one week.
Trump next appointed Kelly as chief of staff, but Kelly later advised Americans against reelecting Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
Following Kelly's exit, Trump brought in former OMB chief Mulvaney to fill the position temporarily.
Trump's last chief of staff was former North Carolina Representative Mark Meadows, who previously led the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus.
