“The Ice Maiden” has been working on national campaigns for decades.
As is typical post-election, President-elect Trump is currently busy assembling his cabinet — a list that includes widely-known personalities like Elon Musk. But even Trump’s lesser-known picks for these coveted positions have spent years cultivating ties to Trump and the Republican party — case-in-point is Susie Wiles, 67, Trump’s pick for White House chief of staff. While those less embedded in the inner workings of our political systems may have never heard of Wiles, she’s been rubbing elbows with some of the most prominent politicians in the country for over 40 years.
Here’s a closer look at Wiles — who will be the first woman to hold this prominent position.
Who is Susie Wiles?
Wiles, the New Jersey-born daughter of late NFL kicker and legendary sportscaster Pat Summerall, graduated from the University of Maryland. She’s been operating in conservative politics for decades, working on both local and national campaigns.
Wiles started out as an entry-level staffer for Rep. Jack Kemp (N.Y.); subsequently, she worked as a scheduler for Ronald Reagan and also worked in Reagan’s labor department.
Plus, she spent time on George H.W. Bush’s campaign and, in the Florida governor’s race in 2010, helped lead then-businessman Rick Scott’s campaign.
She married Republican consultant Lanny Wiles; they settled in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, in 1985. She has two daughters and enjoys baking and spending time with her grandchildren.
How did Wiles get close to Trump?
Wiles ran Trump’s campaign in Florida during the 2016 election and was key to helping him win the state. At the time, her colleagues within the Republican party questioned her commitment to Trump, whose reputation was met with incredulity.
In 2016, Wiles explained her decision to back Trump to the Tampa Bay Times, stating that none of Trump’s Republican opponents were willing to bring adequate change to Washington: “I said, ‘I don’t want this to continue.’ I think it seriously will damage our republic and who among that group can really have the fortitude to shift what I’ve seen happening over all these years?”
After Trump’s victory in 2016, Wiles then managed Ron DeSantis’ run for governor. The two had a falling out, however, and Wiles then helped Trump defeat DeSantis in the GOP primary. The origins of that rift are fuzzy, but Wiles made an exceedingly rare appearance on social media directly before DeSantis dropped out of the race. On X (the platform then known as Twitter), she responded to a Tweet about how DeSantis’ website had been wiped of upcoming events; Wiles wrote, “Bye, bye.” This terse send-off was made more contentious by the fact that she had previously tweeted only three times during that year.
Wiles ultimately helped Trump win the popular vote in the 2024 Presidential Election.
What have insiders said about Wiles?
Unlike most of the president-elect’s inner circle, Wiles is notable for shying away from speaking engagements, TV interviews, and other hallmarks of the spotlight; when Trump offered her the microphone during his victory party in West Palm Beach, she demurely declined the opportunity to speak. Still, in Trump’s victory speech, he referred to her as “the ice maiden.”
In a statement, Trump described Wiles as “tough, smart, innovative, and universally admired and respected.”
Turnover has traditionally been very high within Trump’s campaign (the president-elect went through four chiefs of staff during his first term), but insiders believe Wiles may have staying power.
What other experience does Wiles have?
Aside from being a mainstay in Florida politics, Wiles also moonlights as a registered lobbyist. While running Trump’s campaign, Wiles was a lobbyist for a tobacco company named Swisher International; between 2023 and the beginning of 2024, she worked to influence Congress on “FDA regulations.”
Wiles also acts as the co-chair for the Florida and Washington, D.C., offices of Mercury Public Affairs. This lobbying firm’s clients include Airbnb, AT&T, eBay, Pfizer, Tesla, SpaceX, and the Embassy of Qatar — although Wiles isn’t a registered lobbyist for any of those clients. Mercury ended its relationship with Swisher in 2024.
