Donald Trump announced that Susie Wiles, his successful White House campaign manager, will be his chief of staff, taking the veteran Republican strategist and longtime Trump ally from behind the scenes to the hot seat.
“Susie Wales helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history and was an integral part of my successful campaigns in 2016 and 2020,” the US President-elect said in a statement on Thursday.
“It is a well-deserved honor for Susie to be the first chief of staff in U.S. history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
“logical choice”
Wells was one of the leaders in what was hailed as Trump’s most sophisticated presidential campaign, which saw Democratic former President Kamala Harris defeated on Tuesday.
Wells was a fixture in the inner circle of a man known for high staff turnover, and was seen as a steady hand, adept at calming and managing the notoriously erratic politician. She will be the first woman to hold this role.
“It’s a logical choice,” Republican strategist Matt Terrell told CBC. Nationalism. “This is a very well-respected person. … She has a reputation as someone who gets the job done.”
Trump, who is also expected to make history as the first convicted felon to win a US presidential election, will not take office until the inauguration on January 20, 2025. Wells is his first major appointment to date.
Florida Politics
Wells, 67, has worked in politics for more than four decades, starting in the 1970s as an assistant to New York Rep. Jack Kemp.
The daughter of the late Pat Summerall, a former NFL player and member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Wiles made her mark advising and managing political campaigns for Republicans at the state and federal levels, including former US President Ronald Reagan. She was part of his 1980 presidential campaign and was in charge of scheduling in the White House during his first year in office before turning her attention to state politics in Florida.
There, she worked on the campaigns of incumbent Senator Rick Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis.
Her relationship with Trump dates back to his first run for president in 2016, when she was a senior adviser to his campaign and helped him win Florida — a state that was key to securing his path to the White House.
Two years later, Wells helped elect DeSantis as governor of Florida. But the rift between the two eventually prompted DeSantis to urge Trump’s 2020 campaign team to cut ties with the strategist who was running Trump’s campaign in the state.
Wells eventually went on to lead Trump’s primary campaign against DeSantis and beat the Florida governor.
“I worked in politics in Florida, and I can tell you, everyone I talked to in Republican circles there, but Democratic circles alike, respected her and understood her as someone who was a great worker,” said Terrell, who worked in politics in Florida. He is also the former chief of staff for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Donald Trump will become President of the United States again, as the second person in US history to win two non-consecutive terms. Andrew Chang breaks down Election Night moment by moment and explains how Trump beat Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in a dramatic political comeback.
“Ice Maiden”
If this is the first time you’ve heard from Wiles this week, you’re not alone — although she has worked on several campaigns, she tends to stay in the background, rarely providing commentary to the press.
During Trump’s victory speech early Wednesday morning, he noted that Wells likes to “kind of stay back,” calling her an “ice virgin.”
When she joined Trump on stage, she declined when he motioned for her to take the microphone herself, shook her head and asked another staffer to speak.
In her work on previous Trump campaigns, Wiles has tried to reach out to communities where Republicans have historically not done well.
Speaking on ABC affiliate WPLG Local 10 in Miami in 2020, Wells said the Florida campaign she was overseeing deliberately courted more Hispanic and black voters, seeking to “make it palatable” for them to vote Republican.
President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles to be his next White House chief of staff, but who else will he choose to play important roles in his next administration? Republican strategist Matt Terrell explains who could be chosen.
What does the chief of staff do?
Widely believed to be the second most important role in the West Wing after the president, chief of staff is a Cabinet position that does not require Senate confirmation.
The person in this role controls access to the President and manages the staff of the Executive Office of the President. The chief of staff advises and travels with the president, previews speeches and briefings, and generally controls who and what reaches the president. They are sometimes described as a combination of gatekeeper and confidant.
Trump’s first term in office has seen significant decline One of the highest turnover rates For high-ranking officials among recent US presidents. His first administration saw four chiefs of staff touring the White House.
A number of former members of Trump’s team have come out in the years since he lost his bid for a second straight term in 2020 to disavow the politician and criticize his dictatorial leadership style and the high value he places on loyalty above all else.
John Kelly, who served as chief of staff for a year and a half before being ousted although Trump has not yet named a replacement, warned last month that Trump “certainly prefers a dictator approach to government.”
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days in office, including mass deportations, ending inflation, tough new trade tariffs, “historic” tax cuts for workers and small businesses and ending the war in Ukraine.
