Susie Wiles is an American political consultant who is currently serving as senior adviser to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Wiles is one of the most influential and effective strategists in the Republican Party, particularly in Florida, where she helped Trump win twice, in 2016 and 2020. She also took an active part in the Special Counsel’s investigation into Trump’s alleged misuse of confidential documents following his departure from the office.
Early life
Susie Wiles was born on May 14, 1957, and grew up in New Jersey. Pat Summerall, a former NFL player and sports host, is Wiles’ father and she has two siblings. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Susie Wiles career
Susie Wiles began her career as a staff assistant to former Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY) from 1979-1980. She later served as Assistant Scheduling Director for former President Ronald Reagan® during his 1980 presidential campaign and then as Special Assistant to the President in the President’s Executive Office from 1981 to 1982.
In the 1990s, Wiles served as chief of staff for John Delaney, then Mayor of Jacksonville. Wiles also worked for US Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-FL). From 2004 to 2009 she was an advisor to Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.
Wiles was credited with helping Rick Scott win the Florida governorship race in 2010. Currently, Scott was mostly viewed as an outsider with little to no ties to the Florida Republican Party.
Rise to Fame
Back in 2011, Susie worked for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.’s 2012 presidential campaign. She and former Jacksonville Jaguars player Tony Boselli started a consulting business in Ponte Vedra Beach while they were working on the Huntsman campaign, though they each other retired from the race in July 2011.
Susie also ran Tallahassee-based lobbying firm Ballard Partners for nearly a decade, but left the firm in September 2019 on grounds of “a pressing health issue.” During the 2016 presidential election, she led the Trump campaign’s Florida operations.
In 2018, Donald Trump expressed his support for Ron DeSantis’ run for governor of Florida, with Susie Wiles appointed by him to help advance the endeavor. But in 2019, she was fired from her position as DeSantis’ top advisor due to “increasing tensions between the two.” Susie was CEO of Trump’s Save America PAC as of March 2021.
In April 2021, Politico dubbed Wiles the “new boss to run Trumpworld,” noting that she would have power over Justin R. Clark, a key adviser, and Bill Stepien, the former 2020 campaign manager. She was dubbed Trump’s “chief of staff” in August 2022 in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections and his 2024 presidential campaign launch.
Susie Wiles Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Susan Summerall Wiles |
| birth date | May 14, 1957 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 66 years |
| Place of birth | New Jersey, United States |
| Profession | Political Advisor |
| University | University of Maryland |
| qualification | graduate |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5 feet 7 inches – in centimeters – 170 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 75kg – in pounds – 165 pounds |
| Hair color | Blond |
| eye color | Brown |
Susie Wiles Family | |
| Father | Pat Summerall |
| Mother | Kathy Jacobs |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
relationship status | |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Who is Susie Wiles’ husband? | Lenny Wiles (ex) |
| Children | Two |
Personal life
Susie is a divorced woman and most likely lives alone. In the past, she married Lenny Wiles, who was notably the guitarist for the renowned band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Two children were born of this marriage – a son and a daughter. They decided to go their separate ways and ended their relationship in 2017.
controversy
In 2023, Wiles made headlines for several important reasons. First, authorities identified her as one of the unnamed people involved in the indictment against Trump, which accused him of abusively handling 37 cases of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump had shown her a secret map related to a military operation in 2021 and specifically instructed her not to get too close to it. As part of the ongoing investigation, Wiles has worked with federal investigators and attended several meetings.
Susie worked at a lobbying firm representing Chinese companies and raised concerns about potential threats to national security and their involvement in human rights abuses. This discovery sparked a further investigation into their activities and connections.
Susie played a pivotal role as Trump’s “chief of staff” ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and the announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign. As head of Trump’s Save America PAC, she has successfully raised over $100 million since January 2021. In addition, Wiles had been actively coordinating with other key Trump allies and advisers, including Bill Stepien, Justin Clark, Jason Miller, and Steve Bannon.
Susie Wiles Net Worth
Susie earned quite a bit over the years from her political consulting and lobbying work. According to Federal Election Commission records, she received over $1.5 million from the Trump campaign and associated committees in 2020. She also received over $2.7 million from the DeSantis campaign and affiliated committees in 2018.