Susie Wiles
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Susie Wiles is set to make history as the country’s first female chief of staff to a president. A veteran Florida strategist who led Trump’s political operation for nearly four years, Wiles is seen as loyal and supremely capable.
A grandmother who keeps a relatively low public profile, Wiles is Trump’s only campaign manager to have lasted an entire election cycle, The New York Times reported. Not only did she help the president-elect expand his base and run a more professional campaign, but she also assisted lawyers on his various criminal and civil cases. She has a proven ability to manage Trump’s unpredictable personality, which will be crucial as she takes on what some consider the second-most-powerful job in Washington, behind the presidency itself.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said when announcing her role. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s co-campaign manager, described her as “loyal and honest as the day is long.”
Come January, Wiles will likely have to balance the demands of various big personalities, from Elon Musk to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump tore through four chiefs of staff during his first term, with one of them, Gen. John Kelly, describing it as the worst job he’s ever had.
More traditional Republicans and MAGA diehards alike seem to think that Wiles, with her political sharpness and close ties to the Trump family, will be a more durable choice.
