Why Trump Staffer Susie Wiles' Age-Gap Romance Ended In A Messy Divorce

As Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles may have all of the president's business in check — but the same could not always be said about her personal life. As the first woman to ever hold this title, it would be easy to infer that a lifetime of sound decision-making led Susie to her nomination. However, the Daily Mail reported that Susie, born in 1957, was previously married to Lanny Wiles, who was 14 years older than her. The two were tangled up in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing worth three million dollars in 1991. The Daily Mail also reported on another piece of litigation in which the prosecution sought to garnish Susie's hard-earned wages while working for the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. That case was eventually settled for $75,000. 

Despite their 14-year age gap, Lanny didn't seem to have any additional experience or wisdom to keep them out of their financial problems. Susie told the outlet, "I was drawn into it. My former husband, sadly, made a series of poor business decisions nearly 35 years ago ... This was an unfortunate time in our lives and ultimately these issues led to a divorce some years later." 

That being said, the divorce wouldn't come until 2017. Given that timeline, Lanny must've had something going for him to keep the marriage afloat for 26 years after their pricey bankruptcy. Despite Susie's messy history of bankruptcy and divorce, she's built an impressive political career, becoming Trump's chief of staff. 

While Donald Trump and his ego-inflating cabinet members may be all about reigning in government spending, Susie Wiles had a hard time reigning in the rampant spending of her ex-husband, Lanny Wiles. Per the Daily Mail, Lanny piled on debt in his home state of North Carolina, with reports showing that he owed a North Carolina real estate tycoon $353,476; the city of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, $725,000; and an out-of-business construction company another $710,970. On the hook for the sky-high price tags was none other than Susie, who was named as a "joint debtor" in their bankruptcy filing. 

To put an end to the couple's messy money problems, they were ordered to split the profits when they sold their home. Lanny was lucky enough to retain sole ownership of a 2017 Porsche 911. Meanwhile, Susie was given their Mercedes and a notice for Lanny to reimburse her $21,000 in credit card debt. 

Since her new lease on life, Susie has put Lanny in her rearview and focused her political skills on joining Trump's campaign, ultimately helping him secure a return to the White House. Her cool head on the job earned her the nickname of "Ice Maiden." Perhaps to prove she wouldn't tolerate any man's unchecked ego anymore, she has already lived up to her moniker by subtly jabbing at Elon Musk's political ambitions. Susie might not be hitting the dating scene anytime soon, but given how much time she and Trump will be spending together — she may have a difficult "work husband" to deal with.