Nov. 7 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump has picked Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, to serve as White House chief of staff upon his return to the White House, his office said Thursday.
Wiles, 67, a Florida native, will be the first woman in the post. She has been part of Trump’s inner circle for at least the past four years, and is said to be close with the Trump family.
In addition to helping Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Wiles was the president-elect’s state political director in Florida during the last two campaigns and has dealt with Trump’s legal team on his various pending civil and criminal cases.
“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 statement Thursday. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected.”
Beyond her work with Trump, Wiles has deep roots in Florida Republican politics. She helped lead Rick Scott to victory as governor in 2010 and helped as he went on to be elected a U.S. senator. Wiles also was hired to help save the 2018 campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won after struggling initially in the race.
Trump made it clear following his convincing election victory of Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this week that the chief of staff job was Wiles’ to turn down.
“If she wants it, it’s hers,” a Trump adviser told NBC News on Thursday morning. “Her standing with Trump and what she just pulled off [winning by a large margin] makes it an easy choice if she wants it.”
Wiles is the daughter of former NFL place kicker-turned-broadcaster Pat Summerall, who died in 2013. He became known more for his voice in the broadcast booth than for his play on the field. But his connections paid off for his daughter.
Wiles began working with Republican athletes as far back as the 1970s. She staarted as an assistant to former NFL quarterback Jack Kemp, R-N.Y., in the House in 1979.
She was also a personal secretary to Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan during the Reagan administration. She spent time as a top staffer to Republican mayors John Delaney and John Peyton in Jacksonville, Fla.
She began working with Trump in 2016 when he called Wiles and asked her to meet with him in New York.
“I’m told you know something about Florida,” Trump told Wiles when they first spoke on the phone, NBC News reported in March.
After the New York meeting, Trump hired Wiles, who has been part of his team since.
Republican reaction to the hire was swift and positive.
“Congratulations to Susie!” Scott, her former boss, posted on X. “She is the perfect person for this role. She has been a friend since I ran back in 2010 when she ran my first race for governor.”
“She knows how to build a great team, is a true leader, a trusted adviser and a brilliant tactician,” he added.
“Very well-deserved. Susie is the best,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media.