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White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been named to Forbes’ 2025 list of the World’s Most Powerful Women, making her the only American woman in politics to appear on this year’s ranking.
Forbes placed Wiles at No. 66, noting her historic appointment in January as the first female White House chief of staff and her central role in co-chairing President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.
“Congratulations @SusieWiles for being named by @Forbes to ‘The World’s Most Powerful Women’ List,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon posted to X.
The magazine also cited Wiles’ leadership as CEO of the Save America Leadership PAC and her long career advising major Republican figures, including Ronald Reagan, Mitt Romney, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. She began her political work in 1979 as an assistant to New York Rep. Jack Kemp.
Past editions of the Forbes list have included Democratic leaders, such as Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris. This year’s list is led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.
Trump praised Wiles in November when announcing her appointment, saying she “just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history.”
He also stated, “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. 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 that she will make our country proud,” he added.
Looking ahead to the 2026 midterms, Wiles recently stated that the president plans to take a leading role on the campaign trail. “He’s going to campaign like it’s 2024 again,” she said, adding that the strategy will lean heavily on mobilizing low-propensity Trump voters. She also pointed to a recent special election in Tennessee’s 7th District as a reminder of the challenges of turnout when Trump is not actively involved.