Trump’s chief-of-staff Susie Wiles diagnosed with breast cancer
Updated ,first published
Washington: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, known for bringing relative stability to Donald Trump’s team in his second term, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The US president made the announcement on social media on Monday morning (US time), saying Wiles, 68, would continue to serve as his “near-full-time” chief of staff while he receives treatment.
“His strength and determination to continue doing what he loved and did so well while he was receiving treatment tells you everything you need to know about him,” Trump said.
“Susie is strong and dedicated to serving the American People as one of my closest and most important advisors. She will soon be better than ever! Melania and I are here for her in every way.”
Trump said Wiles’ cancer is in the early stages and his prognosis is “excellent.” Moments later, he appeared alongside the president at a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Monday (US time).
“Instead of waiting, he will get this done right away,” Trump said. “‘Do it now,’ I said. With this particular disorder, the quicker the better. That’s all I know about it.”
Wiles, a seasoned Republican political operator, was Trump’s campaign director in Florida during his 2016 run for the White House and a senior campaign manager in his 2024 campaign; The famously off-topic president has gained a reputation for keeping him relatively on message and disciplined.
Trump later made Wiles the first female White House chief of staff in US presidential history.
It made headlines late last year Vanity Fair Throughout 2025, he published a pair of articles in which he offered candid assessments of the Trump presidency, Vice President J.D. Vance, and various cabinet secretaries, based on interviews he conducted with author and filmmaker Chris Whipple.
Following Wiles’ cancer announcement, Vance said he and his family were “praying as our dear friend embarks on his next challenge.”
During a lengthy speech and press conference at the Kennedy Center on Monday, Trump also pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson to release private medical information about Republican congressman Neal Dunn, who has a serious health condition.
“What was the diagnosis?” Trump intervened. “I think this is a terminal diagnosis,” Johnson said. Trump jumped in again: “He’d be dead by June.”
Johnson responded: “Okay, that wasn’t public. It was ‘brutal,’ which is what I was going to say.”
Trump later added: “By the way, he had a heart problem; it was a heart problem.”
Dunn was successfully treated by the president’s doctors at Walter Reed Hospital, regained his life, and the course of the disease is much better, Johnson said.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
