Susie Wiles
| Susie Wiles | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | •University of Maryland (B.A., English) |
Susan "Susie" Wiles is President-elect Donald Trump's (R) pick for White House chief of staff in his second presidential term. She is the first woman to hold the position in United States history.[1] She co-managed the 2024 Trump campaign alongside Chris LaCivita.[2]
In a statement, Trump said, "Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. 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."[3]
The White House chief of staff leads the staff of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and advises the president on policy issues. The role of the president's chief of staff varies by presidency but generally includes both managerial and advisory duties, including: selecting and hiring staff members, structuring the office's system of reporting information, monitoring and maintaining the office's information flow to the president, maintaining the president's schedule, and advising the president on politics and policy.[4]
Wiles entered Republican Party politics in 1979, when she worked for former Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY). Wiles then worked on Ronald Reagan's (R) presidential campaign and as a scheduler in his White House.[5] She later moved to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Rep. Tillie Fowler (R).[5] She was also the campaign manager for Sen. Rick Scott's (R) 2010 gubernatorial run.[6]
Wiles oversaw the Trump campaign's Florida operations in 2016. In 2018, Wiles was a senior adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) gubernatorial campaign.[7]
Wiles was again a Florida co-chair and senior adviser for the Trump campaign in 2020. Following the 2020 presidential election, Wiles also served as the chief executive officer of the Save America Leadership PAC, Trump's leadership political action committee.[8]
Also a former lobbyist, Wiles joined Ballard Partners in 2011. According to the New York Times, Wiles was registered to lobby for about 40 clients with Ballard, including the city of Jacksonville and the tobacco company Swisher.[9] Ballard said her work focused primarily on strategy and messaging.[9] In 2022, she joined Mercury Public Affairs, where she remained until Trump named her chief of staff.[9]
2024 presidential election
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2024
In 2023, Wiles joined Donald Trump's (R) 2024 presidential campaign as a co-campaign manager.[10][11]
Profiles and interviews
- USA Today, "Meet the mild-mannered Florida woman quietly steering the Trump campaign" (July 12, 2024)
- Politico, "The Most Feared and Least Known Political Operative in America" (April 26, 2024)
- NBC News, "'She sits in a tough chair': Meet Susie Wiles, the operative trying to guide Trump through four indictments to the White House" (March 1, 2024)
- Reuters, "Who are Trump's top presidential campaign aides?" (February 1, 2024)
- The New York Times, "DeSantis Tried to Bury Her. Now She’s Helping Trump Try to Bury Him." (April 18, 2023)
Key staff members
The table below shows a partial list of national campaign staff members, including the campaign manager, senior advisors, political directors, communications directors, field directors, and the national press secretary. They are presented alongside their positions in the campaign, their most recent positions prior to the campaign, and their Twitter handles. To recommend additions, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
- See also: Presidential election campaign managers and key staffers, 2024
| Donald Trump presidential campaign national staff, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Chris LaCivita[10] | Co-campaign manager[12][13] | Partner, FP1 Strategies | @LaCivitaC |
| Susie Wiles[10] | Co-campaign manager[12][13] | Chief executive officer, Save America PAC | @susie57 |
| Alex Bruesewitz[14] | Senior advisor | Co-founder and chief executive officer, X Strategies | @alexbruesewitz |
| Taylor Budowich[14] | Senior advisor | Executive director, MAGA Inc. | @tayfromca |
| Brian Jack[10] | Senior advisor | Political advisor, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) | @briantjack |
| Corey Lewandowski[15] | Senior advisor | Chairman, UltraMaga PAC | @CLewandowski_ |
| Jason Miller[10] | Senior advisor | Chief executive officer, GETTR | @JasonMillerinDC |
| Tim Murtaugh[14] | Senior advisor | Principal, Line Drive Public Affairs, LLC | @TimMurtaugh |
| Alex Pfeiffer[14] | Senior advisor | Founder and principal, Pfeiffer Public Affairs | @__Pfeiffer |
| Steven Cheung[10] | Communications director | Advisor and spokesman, Jim Renacci (R) 2022 Ohio gubernatorial campaign | @TheStevenCheung |
| Karoline Leavitt[16] | National press secretary | Spokeswoman, Make America Great Again Inc. | @kleavittnh |
2020 presidential campaign
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020
In 2019, Wiles served as Trump's adviser in Florida for his 2020 re-election campaign until he fired her on September 17, 2019. Politico reported the severance was due to "the leak of internal correspondence showing how the new governor [Ron DeSantis] appeared to be selling access to special interests on golfing trips."[17] Trump later re-hired Wiles as a senior adviser.
2016 presidential campaign
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
In October 2015, Wiles joined Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as Florida co-chair.[18]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Wiles was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Florida. She was one of 99 delegates from Florida pledged to support Donald Trump for three ballots.[19][20] As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately 1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.
RNC Rules Committee
- See also: RNC Rules Committee, 2016
Wiles was a member of the RNC Rules Committee, a 112-member body responsible for crafting the official rules of the Republican Party, including the rules that governed the 2016 Republican National Convention.[21]
Appointment process
The convention Rules Committee in 2016 consisted of one male and one female delegate from each state and territorial delegation. The Rules of the Republican Party required each delegation to elect from its own membership representatives to serve on the Rules Committee.
Delegate rules
In Florida, delegates to the national convention were selected at congressional district conventions and the state executive meeting. All 99 delegates were bound for three ballots at the Republican National Convention to the winner of the statewide primary.
Florida primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Florida, 2016
| Florida Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
| Jeb Bush | 1.8% | 43,511 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 0.9% | 21,207 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 2,493 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz | 17.1% | 404,891 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 1,899 | 0 | |
| Jim Gilmore | 0% | 319 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0% | 693 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.1% | 2,624 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 6.8% | 159,976 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.2% | 4,450 | 0 | |
| Marco Rubio | 27% | 638,661 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 1,211 | 0 | |
 Donald Trump |
45.7% | 1,079,870 | 99 | |
| Totals | 2,361,805 | 99 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Florida Department of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
Florida had 99 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 81 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 27 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the statewide vote received all of Florida's district delegates.[22][23]
Of the remaining 18 delegates, 15 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the statewide vote received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the candidate who won the state's primary.[22][23]
Career 2009-2015
Wiles remained a principal at Right Coast Strategies, but in 2011 she also became Jacksonville managing partner at Ballad Partners. Ballad Partners is a government and public affairs lobbying firm located in Tallahassee, Fla. During the 2012 election cycle, Wiles worked as campaign manager for Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) as well as executive director of Horizon Political Action Committee, which supported former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman (R) in the 2012 Republican Party presidential primary. She also worked as Huntsman's first national campaign manager for six months. Additionally, Wiles worked for the Republican Party of Florida and served as the co-chair of the Florida Advisory Committee advising former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney (R) during his 2012 presidential campaign.[8][24][25][26]
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections named Wiles a top Republican Party influencer in Florida. 904 Magazine in Jacksonville, Fla., named Wiles as one of Jacksonville's 50 most influential people.[27][28]
When Lenny Curry (R) was elected mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., in May 2015, Wiles became the policy director for the City Transition Team. The team was charged with overseeing an audit of the city's finances, re-establishing a program to reduce crime, and reviewing city services to identify places where spending could be optimized.[29][28]
Career 1999-2009
Wiles left the city of Jacksonville in 1999 to become Florida co-managing partner at APCO Worldwide, a public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. She stopped working for APCO Worldwide in 2001 to start her own government affairs and communications firm, Wiles Consulting, Inc., in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. She worked there from 2001 to 2004. She returned to Jacksonville in 2004 to work as chief of communications and special initiatives for former Mayor John Peyton (R). In that position, Wiles oversaw the communications and public relations efforts for the mayor and the city. She left Jacksonville again in August 2008.[8][30]
Wiles served as co-chair for Arizona Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign in Duval County, Fla. That same year, she served on former Florida Governor Charlie Crist's transition team.[30]
In 2009, Wiles co-founded Right Coast Strategies, a strategic counsel firm in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The firm offers services such as communications consulting, direct marketing, government affairs and coalition building. She worked as campaign manager for Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) in 2010 and participated in the gubernatorial transition process during 2011.[8][25][31]
Career 1979-1998
Wiles began her career working for former Representative Jack Kemp (R-NY) as a staff assistant from 1979 to 1980. She later worked as deputy director of scheduling for former President Ronald Reagan (R) during his 1980 presidential campaign and then as a special assistant to the president in the Executive Office of the President from 1981 to 1982. The Executive Office of the President contains several advisors and groups that support the administration and help implement its agenda. In 1982, Wiles moved to the U.S. Department of Labor, where she worked as a special assistant to former Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan until 1983.[8][32]
Leaving the Reagan administration, Wiles became a principal at Summerall, Smith & Wiles in 1984. Summerall, Smith & Wiles was a government affairs firm in Jacksonville, Fla. Wiles remained with the firm until 1986.[8]
In 1988, Wiles worked as the deputy director of operations for the vice presidential campaign for former President George H.W. Bush (R) and former Vice President Dan Quayle (R). She worked as district director for former Representative Tillie K. Fowler (R) from Florida's 4th Congressional District from 1992 to 1995.[8]
Wiles became a senior executive in the Office of the Mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., in 1995 under former Mayor John Delaney (R). From 1995 to 1996, she worked as the director of communications and became Delaney's chief of staff in 1996. She worked with the mayor to implement policies aimed at promoting "economic growth and good stewardship of Northeast Florida's unparalleled natural resources."[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Susie Wiles Florida. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Florida
- Republican Party of Florida
- Ronald Reagan
- Raymond J. Donovan
- George H.W. Bush
- John McCain
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Charlie Crist
- Rick Scott
- Lenny Curry
- Donald Trump
External links
- Susie Wiles on Twitter
- Executive Office of the President
- City of Jacksonville, Fla.
- APCO Worldwide
- Right Coast Strategies
- Ballad Partners
- Republican Party of Florida
- Jacksonville Women's Network
- Jacksonville Journey Oversight Committee
- Jacksonville Civic Council
- ConservAmerica
- Fresh Ministries
- Timuacuan Trail Parks Foundation
- Monique Burr Foundation for Children
Footnotes
- ↑ Associated Press, "President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff, making her first woman in the post," November 7, 2024
- ↑ The Hill, "The Hill’s Changemakers: Susie Wiles, future White House chief of staff," December 17, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff, making her first woman in the post," November 7, 2024
- ↑ The White House 2001 Project, "The Chief of Staff," December 17, 2000
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, "Who is Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s new White House chief of staff?" November 7, 2024
- ↑ Florida Times-Union, "Susie Wiles: 'The insider' who backed 'the outsider' Rick Scott," November 6, 2010
- ↑ CNN, "Trump’s new chief of staff is an unassuming figure in his brash inner circle. She’s also one of its most effective operators," November 9, 2024
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Linkedin, "Susie Wiles," accessed December 13, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "linked" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 New York Times, "Inside the Lobbying Career of Trump’s New Chief of Staff," November 22, 2024
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Axios, "Inside Trump's campaign makeover for 2024," March 20, 2023
- ↑ Reuters, "Who are Trump's top presidential campaign aides?" February 1, 2024
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Identified based on reporting from Reuters.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Reuters, "Who are Trump's top presidential campaign aides?" February 1, 2024
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Politico, "Trump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board," August 15, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "Trump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board," August 15, 2024
- ↑ Twitter, "NH Journal on January 15, 2024," accessed April 11, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "How Trump’s Florida ‘field general’ got kneecapped," September 20, 2019
- ↑ Florida Politics, "With Susie Wiles on Team Donald Trump, NE Florida is in Play," October 23, 2015
- ↑ Republican Party of Florida, "Florida GOP announces 99 delegates," May 14, 2016
- ↑ Republican Party of Florida, "Party Rules of Procedure," January 15, 2011
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of 2016 RNC Rules Committee members is based on an official list from the Republican National Committee obtained by Ballotpedia on June 24, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ Ballad Partners, "About Us," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Right Coast Strategies, "About Us," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ POLITICO, "Horizon PAC: A family affair," September 1, 2011
- ↑ Cloud Contact Center, "The Influencers 500," January 22, 2013
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 City of Jacksonville, "Policy Director Susie Wiles," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ City of Jacksonville, "Transition Information," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Ballad Partners, "Our Team, Susan 'Susie' Wiles," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ Right Coast Strategies, "Services," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ The White House, "Executive Office of the President," accessed December 4, 2015
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