(The Hill) — Susie Wiles, President-elect Trump’s campaign co-chair and a longtime political strategist, was among the people Trump thanked as he took the stage early Wednesday, just hours before his victory in the 2024 election was officially projected.
“Susie likes to stay sort of in the back. Let me tell you, the ice baby. We call her the ice baby,” Trump said.
“Susie likes to stay in the background. She’s not in the background,” Trump added.
While the strategist typically stays in the background, she emerged last week with a post on the social platform X — her first post in nearly two years — defending Trump against comments made by billionaire Mark Cuban that the former president typically doesn’t surround himself with “strong, intelligent women.”
“I’m told @mcuban needs help identifying the strong and intelligent women surrounding Pres. Trump. Well, here we are!” Wiles said Thursday on X, her first post there since February 2023.
“I’ve been proud to lead this campaign,” she added, also pointing to the efforts of Linda McMahon, chair for Trump’s transition policy, and Republican National Committee co-Chair Lara Trump.
Wiles currently serves as Trump’s campaign co-chair alongside Chris LaCivita, though there has been some speculation that she’s seen as a favorite to be Trump’s White House chief of staff.
Described by Politico earlier this year as Trump’s “most important adviser,” Wiles has worked in politics for several decades. She’s worked for presidents, mayors, governors and members of Congress, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), and now Trump — in 2016 and again in 2024.
Reuters, citing Wiles’s LinkedIn, reported that Wiles also worked as a deputy director during former President Reagan’s 1980 campaign and later became a scheduler for his office. She also worked as a consultant in Florida.