Incoming White House chief of staff has NFL ties

Susie Wiles, who will serve as chief of staff in the next Donald Trump administration, apparently will be taking some of the interpersonal skills learned from her legendary father to the White House.

Wiles, 67, is the daughter of the late Pat Summerall, a former NFL player and a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. She has had a long career in Republican politics, beginning in the 1970s as an aide to Rep. Jack Kemp -- a former football player himself -- and including work in the Reagan White House.

"Think about this: Her dad sat between John Madden and Howard Cosell, two of the biggest personalities, pains in the a--, right?" a Trump campaign official told USA Today earlier this year. "Really hard thing, and he was the calming center. And it's genetic. She has that."

President-elect Trump went through four chiefs of staff in his first administration, and Wiles is said to have a down-to-business work ethic and the ability to calm the often-tempestuous Trump. She seeks to avoid the spotlight and instead work in the background.

She served as his co-campaign chairperson, and Trump credited her for her skills as he made her the first female chief of staff in U.S. history on Wednesday.

"Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns," Trump said in a statement. "Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected."

--Field Level Media