Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but will continue working while undergoing treatment, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Wiles, 68, has been a constant presence at Trump’s side since he returned to office in January 2025. Republicans have credited her with bringing greater discipline to the White House during Trump’s second term while allowing the president to operate largely on his own terms.
Meanwhile, Trump also revealed on Monday that a US congressman Rep. Neal Dunn of Florida had faced a “terminal” health condition and said he had only months to live before he personally intervened to help the Republican get surgery.
He said the 73-year-old had been showing up to work despite his health challenges.
“He would be dead by June,” Trump said of Dunn. “This was a heart problem”, revealing more details that Dunn’s office hasn’t shared publicly.
Shortly after Trump spoke of Dunn in the meeting, he turned attention to his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and the health challenges she’s facing.
The revelations about the health issues being faced by his allies come months after the US president’s doctor said Donald Trump was found to be in “exceptional health” in a medical evaluation, with his “cardiac age” 14 years younger than in “chronological age.”
Trump, 79, was the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency when he retook the White House in January, and he is the second oldest person to ever serve as the country’s president.
In office, the Republican president has maintained a high-tempo schedule and a fondness for red meat.
Trump’s health has been a focus of attention a year after President Joe Biden dropped his 2024 reelection bid amid questions about his fitness for the job.
In October last year, a memo released by the White House following the April exam said Trump was 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 102 kg and had well-controlled high cholesterol. It praised both Trump’s robustness and his golf game.
Meanwhile, US and Israel continue to carry out strikes against Iran in a war that began 18 days ago, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and thousands others.
