What to know about Susie Wiles after calling Vanity Fair interview a "hit piece"

Catch up quick: Wiles spoke to Vanity Fair in a piece published Tuesday about the Epstein files, Elon Musk, Vice President JD Vance as a presidential candidate and Trump's boat strikes, among other subjects.

• But Wiles slammed the Vanity Fair piece on X, calling it a "framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history."
• The White House similarly defended Wiles after her private views on Trump's first year were revealed in the VF interview.

Wiles has been at the forefront of Trump's presidency and previous campaigns, becoming one of his closest confidants during his second term.

Here's what to know about Wiles.

Wiles' early political career

Wiles is the daughter of the late sports broadcaster Pat Summerall, who previously played for the New York Giants and eventually became one of the top broadcasters of the NFL.

• Wiles later interned on Capitol Hill for Jack Kemp, the New York congressman who also played for the Giants with her father, according to the Vanity Fair piece.
• She then landed a position in President Reagan's White House as a scheduler. She later worked with Dan Quayle, the running mate of George H.W. Bush, during the 1988 campaign.

Wiles then found a groove with local and state politics, working on several Florida political campaigns including Rick Scott's successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign.

• Her relationships in Florida helped forge strong connections with Republicans nationwide.

Lobbying efforts

Beyond Florida politics, Wiles worked as a lobbyist for years with a number of corporations, businesses and a political party.

• In 2011, she joined Ballard Partners, a top lobbying firm, where she helped lobby for more than 40 clients, per the New York Times.
• Her clients included the city of Jacksonville, the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria and Globovisión news network, which was owned by a Venezuelan billionaire who was later charged with money laundering.

In 2017, she was a testifying witness in the federal corruption trial of former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown.

• Wiles later helped the prosecutor from that case, A. Tysen Duva, be nominated as assistant attorney general by the White House. The nomination is still awaiting a vote.

Wiles working with Trump

Wiles and Trump started working together for the 2016 presidential election, where she helped with the future president's operations in Florida.

• She was hired as Trump's Florida campaign chairwoman in October 2015 and played a "pivotal" part in his success there, per the New York Times.
• Wiles was also named as a delegate for Florida at the 2016 Republican National Convention in May 2016.

After Trump won the election, Wiles defended the campaign and dished out a direct retort to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller about Russian interference.

• "There are always ways someone can manipulate the system, but this was not something we saw," she told Politico in 2018.

Wiles worked with Ron DeSantis

Wiles decided to work for Trump's endorsed pick for Florida governor, then-U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, in 2018, becoming the chair of his gubernatorial campaign.

• But the two parted ways after DeSantis won. The Florida governor then encouraged Trump against hiring Wiles again.
• Trump still hired her though, and she later helped Trump defeat DeSantis during the 2024 presidential primary campaign.
• Before DeSantis dropped out of the race, Wiles wrote on X: "Bye bye."

Zoom in: Wiles told Vanity Fair that she wasn't sure why DeSantis denounced her after his election win.

• "I think he thought I was getting too much attention, which is ironic," she told VF. "I don't ever seek attention."

Wiles and Trump work together again

After the DeSantis departure, Wiles rejoined Trumpworld in a series of roles with the former president following his 2020 campaign loss.

• She also joined Mercury Public Affairs, a political strategy and consulting firm, as a co-chair of global public strategy in February 2022.
• Wiles was also credited with Glenn Youngkin's victory in the 2021 gubernatorial election, with critics saying she helped distance Youngkin from Trump.
• She then worked with Trump to manage many of his activities in his post-presidential period and assisted Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman in defeating longtime Trump nemesis Liz Cheney in a hotly-contested 2022 Wyoming primary.

Wiles and the 2024 presidential victory

Wiles stayed with Trump for his 2024 campaign, which she described to Axios as more organized and less leaky than any previous Trump team.

• "I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles told Axios at the time. "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission."
• Wiles has since worked with Trump to make his wants and needs happen at the White House. She has clapped back at claims of managing the president, and instead looks to make people work together.
• "I cannot stress teamwork and mutual support enough," she told Axios earlier this year, adding: "It's not magic — set goals and timelines for me and the team and then work to exceed them. Simple, yes, but this worked quite nicely on the campaign."

Trump's allies praise Wiles

What they're saying: Wiles has received much praise from those within Trumpworld.

• "Susie Wiles — we have our disagreements," Vance said at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. "We agree much more than we disagree, but I've never seen her be disloyal to the president of the United States, and that makes her the best White House chief of staff that I think the president could ask for."
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said something similar in an X post: "The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and united fully behind her."
• Co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita told Axios in January that Wiles has a nickname among those on the campaign because she avoids the spotlight and rarely leaks anything about Trump.
• "The Ice Maiden," LaCivita said. "We call her the Ice Maiden."

More from Axios:

• Party of one: Trump chews up and spits out his inner circle
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