President-elect Donald Trump Susie Wiles, his victorious campaign manager, has been named his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold such an influential role.
Widely regarded within and outside of Trump’s inner circle, Wiles was widely regarded as the most disciplined and well-executed campaign of his career, and was seen as a front-runner for the office. He largely avoided the limelight, even refusing to take the microphone when Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.
He was able to do what few have been able to do: help curb Trump’s worst impulses, not by scolding or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing that he was better off ignoring his advice.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement. “It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that he will make our country proud.”
Trump went through four chiefs of staff – including one who served for a year – in his first administration, part of a record-setting staff turnover in his administration.
Successful chiefs of staff serve as confidants of the president, help execute a president’s agenda, and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to act as gatekeepers, helping the president determine who and with whom he spends time, an effort Trump has made inside the White House.
The chief of staff is “absolutely critical to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the White House chief of staff shapes and defines a presidency. “Ultimately the most important thing is to tell the president what he doesn’t want to hear.”
Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaign in the state in 2016 and 2020. Prior to that, he managed the 2010 campaign for Florida governor Rick Scott and was briefly the 2012 presidential campaign manager for former Utah governor Jon Huntsman.
Chris LaCivita, who served as campaign manager alongside Wiles, posted X“So happy and proud to work with one of the most passionate and loyal warriors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with!!!”
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