Meet Susie Wiles, Trump's choice as first female White House chief of staff

The US President-elect Donald Trump has made his first appointment for his second term in office by choosing Susie Wiles, one of the two managers of his campaign in the presidential elections this year, as his White House chief of staff.

She makes history by being the first woman to be the White House chief of staff in the history of the United States.

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“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” said Trump in a statement announcing her appointment.

“Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well-deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history,” he said.

“I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” said Trump.

Susie Wiles – political campaign specialist

A Florida-based Republican strategist, 67-year-old Susie Wiles is the daughter of the NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall.

She has more than four decades of experience working on various political campaigns in Washington and the states.

Susie began her career working in the Washington office of New York Rep Jack Kemp in the 1970s. That was followed by stints on Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign and in his White House team as a scheduler.

She then spent several years in Florida, where she was an advisor to two Jacksonville mayors, worked with Rep Tillie Fowler, and some state-wide campaigns. She was instrumental in helping the businessman Rick Scott becoming the governor of Florida in 2010. She briefly managed Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign in 2012.

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Susie managed the Florida campaigns for Donald Trump’s presidential races in 2016 and 2020, and then led the campaign for Ron DeSantis to become Florida Governor in 2018.

There seems to have been a falling-out between Susie and Ron DeSantis after that, and he even unsuccessfully urged Trump not to allow her to manage his Florida campaign during his 2020 bid for re-election as President.

Susie took “revenge’ by leading Trump’s campaign in the Republican primaries against DeSantis last year which resulted in the latter dropping out of the race.

Best-run campaign

Susie Wiles and her fellow-campaign manager Chris LaCivita have been credited for orchestrating his most disciplined and effectively-run campaign this year compared with his previous presidential bids.

She was responsible for putting together a professional team that managed his third presidential campaign. She is one of the few senior officials to not only last but also thrive during an entire Trump campaign.

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Susie is known for avoiding the spotlight and prefers to pull the strings from the background. She even refused to speak on stage when Trump celebrated his victory after the results were known.

Able to ‘handle’ Trump

The newly-appointed White House chief of staff is seen as someone who can manage Trump’s moods and impulses, according to his aides quoted by the Associated Press.

She seems to have developed a strong bond with Trump and his family, and was key in building alliances with Robert F Kennedy Jr and Elon Musk.

She was involved in every important discussion during the campaign. Trump mentioned her name several times during the campaign, complimenting her for running what he described as “his best-run campaign”.

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Susie Wiles is seen as a person who is able to control Trump’s worst instincts by showing him that things work out better when he follows her advice.

After Trump announced her selection as his chief of staff, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Trump supporter, posted on X that the president-elect had chosen a “strong, intelligent woman” as his chief of staff.

Challenges ahead

Her greatest challenge in her new role would be the fact that she has not worked earlier in a senior position in the White House, and her experience in Washington has been limited.

As chief of staff, she will wield a lot of influence. She will manage the White House staff, organise the president’s time and schedule, coordinate with other government departments and lawmakers, act as his gatekeeper by deciding who gets to meet him and for how long, and will be involved in senior appointments.

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She can take comfort from the fact that her boss appreciates her work, and says so publicly.

“She’s incredible. Incredible,” said Donald Trump at a rally in Milwaukee during the campaign.

She enjoys the President-elect’s confidence, and that makes all the difference.