Susie Wiles diagnosed with breast cancer, will stay on as White House chief of staff
Susie Wiles and President Trump | CBS
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer, she confirmed Monday.
“This past week, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Wiles, 68, said in a statement. “Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis. Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work, and serve their communities with strength and determination. I now join their ranks.”
President Trump and Wiles said she will be staying on in her position during treatment. It’s unclear what treatment she will be receiving.
“She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent!” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social. “During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy! Her Strength and her Commitment to continue doing the job she loves, and does so well, while undergoing treatment, tells you everything you need to know about her.”
At a Kennedy Center event on Monday with Wiles, Mr. Trump called her “an amazing person, an amazing fighter.”
“She announced a minor difficulty, which will be in good shape,” Mr. Trump added. “She’ll be around for a long time. The prognosis there is excellent, beyond excellent.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media on Monday that Wiles “epitomizes what it means to be a strong leader. She is also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
“I know I speak for the President and the entire White House when I say that we are all praying for Susie and rallying behind her as she prepares to fight this battle against breast cancer,” Leavitt wrote.
According to the National Cancer Center, over 300,000 women in the U.S. were diagnosed in 2025 with breast cancer, accounting for over 15% of all cancer diagnoses that year. The five-year survival rate is over 91%, the center reported.
Wiles is the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. She was co-chair of Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Mr. Trump has credited her with helping him win both the 2024 and 2016 elections.
After Mr. Trump won his first term in 2016, Wiles, who was the chief strategist in Florida for his campaign, was dispatched to help Ron DeSantis with his 2018 bid to become Florida governor. After DeSantis’ win, she had a falling out with him and returned to run Mr. Trump’s Florida campaign in 2020. After the 2020 campaign loss, she ran the Save America PAC before joining the 2024 campaign as co-campaign manager.
Wiles, a native of New Jersey, is the daughter of the renowned late NFL kicker and sportscaster Pat Summerall. Soon after she graduated from college at the University of Maryland, she worked for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign, and later went on to work in Florida politics. In 2010, she helped Sen. Rick Scott win his election against Democrat Bill McCollum, and she has also been a political consultant in Florida.
