The de facto manager of his successful campaign, Susie Wiles, has been appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff, making her the first woman to occupy the powerful position.
Wiles, who was seen as the front-runner for the job, is largely praised both inside and outside of Trump’s inner circle for overseeing what was by far his most well-organized and successful campaign. She mostly stayed out of the spotlight, even declining to appear on the microphone at Trump’s early Wednesday morning victory celebration. Given Trump’s history of churning through campaign managers, she declined the official title to avoid becoming a target.
Trump’s hiring of Wiles is his first significant move as president-elect, and it may prove to be a defining test of his new administration because he needs to assemble the staff that will assist in managing the vast federal agency as soon as possible. Although Wiles lacks expertise in the federal administration, he has a close relationship with the president-elect.
Few people have been able to do what Wiles did during the campaign: help manage Trump’s impulses. She did this by gaining his respect and demonstrating to him that following her advise was better for him than disobeying it.
Trump fired his transition team’s meticulous planning eight years ago and replaced it with a jumble of campaign aides, relatives, and Republican insiders. These individuals spent the majority of his first year in office fighting among themselves, which dominated news coverage of the new government. A president who was new to Washington and government at the time of his swearing-in was shackled by what many experts view as a fundamental error.
Trump’s first administration saw a record-breaking personnel turnover, including four chiefs of staff, including one who was acting for a year. During his first term, Trump fired a number of top aides who felt controlled or deferred to, while others received caught up in ideological spats within the factionalized West Wing.
Wiles’ choice, according to Trump officials, is a positive indication that the president-elect is trying to assemble a more unified team, but one that is most likely going to be less traditional than his Democratic or Republican predecessors.
Trump has stated time and time again that he thinks the largest error of his first term was picking the wrong people, despite his 2016 pledge to hire “only the best people.” He has stated that he didn’t know any better because he was new to Washington at the time. However, Trump claimed that he now knows who would be the “best” fit for his government and who should be avoided.
“Everyone respects and admires Susie because she is tough, intelligent, and creative. Trump stated in a statement, “Susie will keep working tirelessly to Make America Great Again.” “Having Susie as the first female chief of staff in American history is a well-earned honor. She will undoubtedly make our nation proud, in my opinion.
Effective chiefs of staff manage conflicting political and policy agendas, assist in carrying out the president’s agenda, and act as the president’s confidant. They also frequently act as gatekeepers, assisting in deciding who the president talks to and spends time with, something Trump objected to while he was in the White House.
According to Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” describes how the White House chief of staff position defines and forms a presidency, the position is “absolutely critical to an effective White House.” “Telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear is ultimately the most important thing.”
“On the plus side, she has demonstrated that she can work Susie Wiles with Trump, manage him, and occasionally give him the hard truth, which is really important,” Whipple added. On the down side, she hasn’t actually worked in Washington for 40 years and has no experience in the White House. And that is a serious drawback.
Wiles is a seasoned Republican strategist from Florida who managed Trump’s campaigns there in 2016 and 2020 as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ victorious 2018 campaign. She previously managed Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for governor of Florida and temporarily managed former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Wiles also held positions in the offices of former mayors John Peyton and John Delaney of Jacksonville.
According to Chris LaCivita, who co-managed the campaign as de facto manager alongside Wiles, Wiles is inclusive in discussions, solicits feedback from others, and is incredibly loyal.
LaCivita told The Associated Press, “Susie Wiles is just functionally built differently because she has that rare commodity to be able to work on so many different important issues simultaneously.”
Wiles was assigned to have the most difficult conversations with Trump and to be present at all of the important meetings. She got along well with his family and cultivated connections with Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which placed her in a position to play a crucial role in Trump’s emerging partnerships with both individuals.
According to LaCivita, “she can really manage any ego that comes her way.” “And the only way she accomplishes this is by being extremely direct and meticulous.”
“Honesty and loyalty are the most valuable commodities in politics, and Susie possesses both in abundance,” he continued.
Trump advisers viewed Wiles as someone who could control his emotions and inclinations without necessarily holding him back. On the campaign road, Trump frequently cited Wiles, publicly lauding her for overseeing what he claimed to have been his “best-run campaign.”
She is amazing. At a rally earlier this month in Milwaukee, he declared, “Incredible.”
Trump gave a crass and conspiracy-filled address at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he made one of his final appearances before the election. Wiles was seen glaring at him while standing offstage.
Trump later appeared to recognize his adviser’s efforts to keep him on course during a rally in Pittsburgh.
He asked if he could remove the word “beautiful” from the record after noting that men are no longer permitted to use it to describe women. “Susan Wiles, I’m permitted to do that, am I not?” he wondered.
