White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has become the early frontrunner to manage a potential 2028 presidential campaign for Vice President JD Vance, according to reporting by Axios and coverage in the Daily Mail.
Vance has told allies he would want Wiles to run his campaign if he seeks the Republican nomination, two people familiar with his thinking told Axios. White House and MAGA officials also say a ticket pairing that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make Wiles’ taking the job more likely, the reporting said. Vance’s team did not immediately respond when reached by the Daily Mail.
Not even a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, discussion among Republican operatives and advisers has focused on who might be the movement’s next standard-bearer. Vance, who was chosen as Trump’s running mate in 2024, is widely mentioned by allies as the most obvious MAGA heir if he opts to run in 2028. Supporters say Wiles’s experience co-managing Trump’s 2024 campaign and her current role as chief of staff make her a natural choice to run a national operation.
Wiles, 68, has remained largely behind the scenes during the administration while serving as chief of staff and was a co-manager of Trump’s 2024 campaign alongside consultant Chris LaCivita. Trump has referred to her as his “ice maiden.” She has repeatedly said her future in Washington will be determined by the president.
Some White House aides and MAGA-aligned figures note that if Rubio, 54, were to join Vance on a 2028 ticket, it could strengthen Wiles’s bid to run the campaign. Allies quoted by Axios said the combination would broaden the ticket’s appeal inside the GOP coalition and increase the demand for a skilled, experienced campaign manager.
The prospect of a Vance run and Wiles’s potential role gained momentum in the aftermath of a violent attack that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an open forum debate at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Vance appeared on The Charlie Kirk Show days after the killing, underlining the ties between the Trump operation and younger conservative groups that Kirk helped mobilize. A top Trump adviser told Axios that preserving Kirk’s movement of younger voters will be a priority for the next four years.
Wiles, who rarely appears publicly, spoke on the radio the day after Kirk’s death, saying she had told staff to take precautions and not to “let your voice get softer.” The Daily Mail reported that if Wiles were to depart the West Wing after the 2026 midterm elections, her deputy chiefs of staff — Stephen Miller and James Blair — are viewed as possible successors.
There was no immediate confirmation from the White House about formal discussions to name a campaign manager for any future Vance bid. The reporting frames Wiles as the preferred choice among key figures within the Trump coalition, but final decisions would depend on whether Vance runs and on the configuration of his potential ticket.
As Republican strategists weigh 2028 scenarios, attention will remain on the vice president’s intentions, the composition of any ticket he might choose, and the extent to which Trump’s top aides — and Wiles in particular — remain central to future MAGA campaigns.