Veteran Florida political strategist Susie Wiles has been selected as President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, transitioning from a behind-the-scenes role as campaign co-chair to the president’s most High profile positions and counsel of close advisors.
She has been involved in politics for many years. But who is Wiles, who will be the first woman to hold the important role of White House chief of staff? She has decades of experience, much of it in Florida. In the 1970s, she worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp. He later worked as a dispatcher for Ronald Reagan’s campaign and at the White House.
Wiles then traveled to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Rep. Tilly Fowler. Florida politics has since exploded into a statewide campaign, with Wiles credited with helping businessman Rick Scott win the governorship. After briefly managing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign, she managed Trump’s 2016 campaign in Florida, when his victory in the state helped him win the election White House.
She has a history with Ron DeSantis Two years later, Wiles helped get Ron DeSantis elected governor of Florida. But a rift developed between the two, ultimately leading DeSantis to urge the Trump 2020 campaign to cut ties with the strategist when she again ran the then-president’s state campaign.
Wiles ultimately went on to lead Trump’s primary campaign against DeSantis, defeating the Florida governor. Trump campaign aides and their outside allies have gleefully mocked DeSantis throughout the campaign — mocking his laugh, the way he eats and accusing him of wearing boosters in his boots — as well as exploiting the suspicions of many Insider knowledge from Wiles and others on the Trump campaign.
As of the time of her announcement, Wiles had only posted on X three times this year. Wiles made a rare social media appearance shortly before DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race in January. She responded with a message saying DeSantis had cleared his campaign website of upcoming events and responded with a brief but clear message: “Bye, bye.” She avoided the spotlight — mostly, in At the start of Trump’s third campaign, Wiles was one of the few senior officials to survive the entire Trump campaign and was part of a more professional team assembled for his campaign .
She has largely shunned the spotlight, even refusing to take the microphone to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. But she made it clear she was not averse to taking on tasks reserved for volunteers.
When Trump appeared in Iowa last July, where the former president posed for photos with a long line of voters, Wiles grabbed a clipboard and began approaching people waiting to fill out cards, pledging to caucus for Trump. Meeting. “If we leave the room after a meeting and someone leaves trash on the table, Suzy will pick it up and put it in the trash can,” said Chris Luckey, who served as campaign co-chair with Wiles. Chris LaCivita said.
Another of her three posts on X this year came in the final days of the campaign after billionaire Mark Cuban commented there were no “strong, smart women” in Trump’s orbit Fight back. After Wiles was selected as White House chief of staff, Sen.
Trump supporter Marco Rubio of Florida teased on X that the president-elect chose a “strong, smart woman” as his chief of staff. She Can Control Some of Trump’s Worst Impulses Wiles can help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by berating him or lecturing him, but by earning his respect and showing him that when he follows her advice At the time, he was in a better position than to defy her advice.
Late in the campaign, when Trump was giving a widely panned speech in Pennsylvania in which he strayed from his talking points and said he didn’t mind the press being shot, Wiles stepped out and stared at him silently. Trump mentioned Wiles frequently on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership and saying he was often told it was his “best campaign.” “She’s incredible.
incredible. Will she have staying power? Trump’s first administration saw four chiefs of staff change during a record year of personnel changes, including one who served in an acting capacity for a year.
The chief of staff serves as a confidant to the president, helping to execute the agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to act as gatekeepers, helping determine who the president spends his time with and who he talks to — a practice that has rankled Trump within the White House.
Trump has repeatedly said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He said he was new to Washington at the time and knew nothing about it. But now, Trump said, he knows “the best people” and those to avoid at work.
