Who is Susie Wiles? What to know about Trump's chief of staff
Who is Susie Wiles? What to know about Trump's chief of staff
Melina Khan, USA TODAYMon, March 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTC
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Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, President Donald Trump announced on March 16.
The president said in a post on the social platform Truth Social that Wiles will continue to serve in her role during treatment.
"(She) has decided to take on this challenge, IMMEDIATELY, as opposed to waiting. She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent," Trump's post said. "During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House."
Wiles, who is the first female White House chief of staff, has served in that role since Trump's inauguration in January 2025. Here's what to know about her.
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Trump says Susie Wiles will 'be around for a long time'
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with the Kennedy Center Board Members in the East Room of the White House on March 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. US President Donald Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with breast cancer but will continue to work during treatment, Trump said Monday. The first woman to ever work as White House chief of staff, 68-year-old Wiles has been widely credited with driving Trump's second presidency forward behind the scenes.
During a board meeting at the Kennedy Center shortly after announcing Wiles' diagnosis, Trump called her "fantastic" and an "amazing fighter."
"She announced a minor difficulty," he said before turning to Wiles, who was seated on his left, and saying, "You'll be around for a long time."
Trump said Wiles is going to take care of her health issues "immediately, as opposed to waiting," which he said he fully supported. "I said, do it immediately, because with that particular ailment, the faster the better. That's the only thing I know about it, the faster the better."
The president said the prognosis was "beyond excellent" and she had just started treatment.
Who is Susie Wiles? See her career before role as White House chief of staff
Wiles has worked in politics for more than five decades.
In the 1970s, she worked for Rep. Jack Kemp, R-New York, and later worked for former President Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign and administration, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
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After that, she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she had career stints in consulting and government while raising her two daughters.
In 1995, Wiles helped John Delaney become Jacksonville’s first Republican mayor since shortly after the Civil War. She worked as Delaney’s chief of staff until 2000.
Later, Wiles was tapped to work on Sen. Rick Scott's 2010 Florida gubernatorial campaign, as well as Gov. Ron DeSantis' 2018 bid.
She has worked on Trump's presidential campaigns since 2015. After winning in 2024, Trump named Wiles as his chief of staff, a post she has held since.
Susie Wiles age, family
Born Susan Summerall, Wiles, 68, is the daughter of the late NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall.
She holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Maryland, according to the Florida Times-Union, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Wiles and her ex-husband, Lanny Wiles, share two daughters, Katie and Caroline, according to the Times-Union. The pair was married in 1984 and divorced in 2017.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Susie Wiles? Trump chief of staff diagnosed with breast cancer
Source: “AOL Breaking”
