She’s well known in Jacksonville, but the national media has just discovered Susie Wiles. Over the past 30 years, Wiles has been a figure with a large and growing impact on local, state and national politics.
She was with JEA, before it ran off the rails, and served in two mayoral administrations. As Mayor John Delaney’s chief of staff she helped him put across the Better Jacksonville Plan. Insiders give her a lot of credit for helping the transition team that went into City Hall with new Mayor John Peyton.
She also wielded a lot of influence with the private Jacksonville Civic Council.
But it was as a political campaign consultant that she hit her stride and achieved national acclaim.
In 2010, she helped Rick Scott become governor of Florida. She was a force in Donald Trump’s crushing defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016, leading his Florida crew. She steered Ron DeSantis into the governor’s office, and then he made the serious mistake of dumping her.
But this year, Wiles ran Trump’s historic return to the Oval Office, one of the greatest comebacks in history.
They impeached him, charged him with phony crimes and even tried to kill him two or three times but Wiles guided the campaign with incredible skill and he destroyed the Democrats.
Wiles is known to shun the spotlight but it Is being shined on her now by all the national media, despite most of them being never-Trumpers.
Trump has named her White House chief of staff, where her amazing drive, focus and organizational skills will be crucial.
One former associate said of her, “Quiet, way behind the scenes, super observant in real time about what’s really happening politically and probably why and what to consider doing when you don’t like it and what to consider doing when you do like it and want more.”
Delaney said, “The appointment of Susie Wiles as the President’s chief of staff is good for the country, good for Jacksonville, and good for President Trump.
“For someone so successful, she is incredibly ‘normal,’ a loving mom and grandmother and a great person. Her values are mainstream conservative and she is not a rock thrower. She has an incredible instinct for political messaging and is honest.””
