White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has breast cancer but will keep working through treatment

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer but plans to continue working through her treatment, retaining her place as one of President Donald Trump's closest aides during a period of political turbulence.

Wiles, 68, announced on Monday that she had been diagnosed over the previous week. She gave no indication she would pull back from her work as she undergoes treatment.

“Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis,” said Wiles, who's the first woman to hold her position. “Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work, and serve their communities with strength and determination. I now join their ranks.”

In a social media post, Trump described Wiles as “one of the strongest people I know” and said her prognosis is “excellent.”

“During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “She will soon be better than ever!”

Within 20 minutes of Trump's post, Wiles was sitting alongside the president at a meeting of the Kennedy Center board of trustees. In opening remarks, Trump said Wiles had already begun treatment and described her diagnosis as a “minor difficulty" that she would overcome.

It comes as the Republican president confronts mounting challenges on global and national fronts, from the war in Iran and soaring oil prices to this fall’s midterm elections and Americans' concerns over affordability.

Wiles is a longtime Trump ally who rose from his campaign co-chair to his closest adviser and counsel. She spent decades as a lobbyist and political operative in Florida and led his 2016 effort in the state.

She mostly shuns the spotlight but drew attention in December with an unusually candid Vanity Fair interview in which she made critical remarks about Trump administration leaders including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump underscored his trust in Wiles in the aftermath, calling the interview a “hit piece” and describing Wiles as “fantastic.”

More than 300,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Treatment varies depending on how early the cancer is caught but usually involves either removing the tumor, followed by radiation, or removing the breast, what’s called a mastectomy. The cancer’s stage, subtype and genetic makeup can help determine if additional treatment of the original tumor is needed, or certain therapy to help prevent recurrence.

In his Monday post, Trump reiterated that Wiles is “tough and deeply committed to serving the American People.”

“Melania and I are with her in every way, and we look forward to working with Susie on the many big and wonderful things that are happening for the benefit of our Country,” Trump said, referring to first lady Melania Trump.

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.

FILE - White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is seen with President Donald Trump in his limousine upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)

President Donald Trump speaks next to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks during a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington, as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, looks on. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - White House chief of staff Susie Wiles waits for the arrival of President Donald Trump for a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, March 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, FIle)

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles attends a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - White House chief of staff Susie Wiles listens as President Donald Trump meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - White House chief of staff Susie Wiles listens as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug in the Oval Office of the White House, Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

LONDON (AP) — The BBC filed a motion Monday asking a U.S. court to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against it, warning that the case could have a “chilling effect” on robust reporting on public figures and events.

The suit was filed in a Florida court, but the British national broadcaster argued that the court did not have jurisdiction, nor could Trump show that the BBC intended to misrepresent him.

Trump filed a lawsuit in December over the way a BBC documentary edited a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021. The claim seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and a further $5 billion for unfair trade practices.

Last month a judge at the federal court for the Southern District of Florida provisionally set a trial date for February 2027.

The BBC argued that the case should be thrown out because the documentary was never aired in Florida or the U.S.

“We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the president’s claim,” the corporation said in a statement.

In a 34-page document, the BBC also argued that Trump failed to “plausibly allege facts showing that defendants knowingly intended to create a false impression.”

Trump’s case “falls well short of the high bar of actual malice,” it said.

The document further claimed that “the chilling effect is clear” when Trump is “among the most powerful and high-profile individuals in the world, on whose activities the BBC reports every day.”

“Early dismissal is favoured given the powerful interest in ensuring that free speech is not unduly burdened by the necessity of defending against expensive yet groundless litigation, which would constrict the breathing space needed to ensure robust reporting on public figures and events,” it said.

The documentary — titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” — was aired days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The program spliced together three quotes from two sections of a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, into what appeared to be one quote, in which Trump appeared to explicitly encourage his supporters to storm the Capitol building.

Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

Trump's lawsuit accuses the BBC of broadcasting a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction" of him, and called it “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The broadcaster's chairman has apologized to Trump over the edit of the speech, admitting that it gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action.” But the BBC rejects claims it defamed him. The furor triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news last year.

FILE - The logo outside the BBC Headquarters in London, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)