President-elect Donald Trump tapped campaign co-chair Susie Wiles to become his White House chief of staff Thursday, the first woman picked for the coveted and powerful role.
Wiles, nicknamed the “Ice Maiden,” is widely credited as being one of the chief architects of Trump’s victorious presidential 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, 78, said in a statement.
Wiles, 67, managed the Trump-Vance campaign alongside senior adviser Chris LaCivita. A behind-the-scenes operator, she kept a very low public profile throughout the soon-to-be 47th president’s third White House bid.
Trump gave Wiles a shoutout during his victory speech early Wednesday.
“The job you did! Come here Susie,” the president-elect said, summoning 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.
After Wiles declined Trump’s offer to speak, the Republican nominee quipped “Look at this, she’s shy.”
“I’ve never seen her be shy before. Susie!”
The daughter of legendary NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, Wiles is widely regarded as a political force to be reckoned with, having worked as an assistant for the late Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY) and serving as a campaign scheduler during former President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential bid.
Wiles became known as a top GOP strategist after helping Rick Scott, now Florida’s junior senator, win the Sunshine State’s governorship in 2010.
“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.
Wiles ran the Trump campaign’s operations in Florida back in 2016.
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She also helped boost Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ successful 2018 gubernatorial bid and he later hailed her as the “best in the business” during his victory speech.
The two later had a falling out, which led to DeSantis encouraging Trump to cut ties with Wiles during the 2020 campaign. But ultimately, Trump brought her back into his orbit and she stuck with him as DeSantis mounted his unsuccessful primary challenge against the president-elect.
By March 2021, Wiles was working as CEO for the Trump-aligned Save America PAC and she played a critical role in his political operation between then and the November 2022 launch of his 2024 presidential campaign, which she quickly took charge of.
Despite mostly eschewing the public eye, Wiles recently put out a statement in response to billionaire Mark Cuban’s jab that Trump didn’t appear to surround himself with strong, intelligent women, something he later walked back.
“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 oversees the administration’s operations and provides advice to the president, among other key responsibilities.
Trump cycled through four White House chiefs of staff during his first term: Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney — who held the role in an acting capacity — and Mark Meadows.
