Donald Trump’s newly announced chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is a longtime Republican strategist but also has close ties to the NFL.
Wiles, 67, was tapped Thursday to join Trump’s new administration, and will be the first woman to fill the role of chief of staff after leading his successful campaign.
However, Wiles’ recruitment is also notable for her connection to the sports world, as her late father Pat Summerall was a well-known NFL broadcaster and former player.
The ex-kicker, who played for the Lions, Cardinals and Giants, went on to call 16 Super Bowls on TV and formed a long-running on-air partnership with John Madden.
Summerall also called 27 Masters golf tournaments and 21 tennis US Opens – among many other major events – when he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010.
Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, brings Susie Wiles to the stage during an election night watch party
Wiles is the daughter of the late Pat Summerall (left), who formed a long-running partnership with John Madden calling NFL games
Summerall was also honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
He died in 2013 at the age of 82.
His daughter is less known, at least until now, because she largely avoided the spotlight during Trump’s re-election campaign.
Nevertheless, she is widely praised inside and outside Trump’s inner circle for leading his most disciplined and well-executed campaign.
‘Susie is tough, smart, innovative and universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement.
“It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt she will make our country proud.”
Summerall was a kicker for 10 seasons for the Giants (seen above), Lions and Cardinals
Wiles, 67, will become the first woman to serve as chief of staff in the history of the United States
Wiles is a Florida-based Republican strategist who managed Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020.
Previously, she managed Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly managed former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Successful chiefs of staff serve as confidantes to the president, helping to implement a president’s agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities.
They also tend to act as a gatekeeper, helping to determine who the president spends his time with and speaks to — an effort that irked Trump in the White House.