Susie Wiles, President Trump’s White House chief of staff and the first woman to ever hold that position, said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Ms. Wiles, 68, said the disease was caught in its early stages. She will remain in her job and is not planning to take a leave. She will soon begin a course of treatment that will last several weeks in the Washington area, she said.
“Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis,” she said in a statement to The New York Times. “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.”
She told the president about her diagnosis after she learned of it last week.
“I am grateful to have an outstanding team of doctors who detected the cancer early and are guiding my care, and I am encouraged by a strong prognosis,” she said. “I am also deeply thankful for the support and encouragement of President Trump as I undergo treatment and continue serving in my current role.”
Describing her prognosis as “strong,” Ms. Wiles said the president had built “an effective team around him,” one that would ensure there were no disruptions to the West Wing during her treatment.
Mr. Trump announced Ms. Wiles’s diagnosis on Truth Social, calling his chief of staff “one of the strongest people I know,” and saying that “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,” he said, saying later, “Melania and I are with her in every way.”
Ms. Wiles did not identify the specific treatment course she would receive. In recent years, there have been significant advances in breast cancer treatments, particularly if the disease is caught in earlier stages.
About 300,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year, according to National Institutes of Health data.
Ms. Wiles has been a unique figure in Mr. Trump’s world for the past five years. She oversaw Mr. Trump’s political operation and the 2024 re-election campaign that returned him to the White House. Ms. Wiles was one of two senior members of Mr. Trump’s campaign, along with his longtime aide Dan Scavino, traveling with the president when he was shot in his right ear by a would-be assassin during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.
Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The Times, reporting on President Trump.
The post Susie Wiles, Trump’s White House Chief of Staff, Has Breast Cancer appeared first on New York Times.
