The White House will have the first woman Chief of Staff as Donald Trump has named Florida based political strategist Susie Wiles for the post.
The low-key Wiles, 67, has been one of the two campaign managers of the President-elect.
This is the first appointment that Trump has announced after winning Tuesday’s election against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
In doing so, Trump has entrusted a top position to a political operative who helped the Republican win election.
Wiles launched a bold and successful strategy to win over some Latino and Black voters and led the former president to a decisive win.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said in a statement.
The President-elect added, “I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
As gatekeeper to the President, the Chief of Staff typically wields great influence.
The person manages White House staff, organizes the president’s time and schedule, and maintains contact with other government departments and lawmakers.
Notably, Brooke Rollins, former Acting Director of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, was also a contender for Chief Of Staff.
Wiles and fellow campaign manager Chris LaCivita are credited with running a more disciplined operation for Trump’s third presidential bid.
Trump thanked them both during his victory speech early on Wednesday.
“Susie likes to stay in the back, let me tell you,” Trump said, as she stood toward the back of the stage.
“We call her the ice maiden,” said Trump.
Wiles is the daughter of Pat Summerall, who was a prominent football player and sportscaster.
Summerall played in the National Football League for a decade and later announced 16 Super Bowls.
He died in 2013.
Several people who have worked with Wiles said that she would provide stability and sage counsel to Trump in the White House.
Trump ran through four chiefs of staff – an unusually high number – during his 2017-2021 term as they struggled to rein in the famously undisciplined president.
“Susie is a strong woman and a true leader with a proven track record of getting things done,” said Florida-based Republican consultant David Johnson.
Wiles previously worked on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign and helped Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis win election in 2018.
She served as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 bids.
Trump chose Wiles over former House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who is close to Trump and has been a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago.
Sources said McCarthy had been in contention as well as Brooke Rollins, who was the former Acting Director of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council.
Trump has been secluded at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, after defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s election.
He is considering a wide array of people for top jobs in his administration.
Many of them are familiar figures from his 2017-2021 presidency, sources said.
A fierce Trump ally, New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, is under consideration to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a source familiar with the matter said.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who was an acting intelligence chief in Trump’s first term and was with him when he recently met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in New York, is under consideration for Secretary of State.
Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, is also under consideration for that position, the sources said.
There are several top contenders for some of the key posts overseeing defense, intelligence, diplomacy, trade, immigration and economic policy making.
The top contenders are Scott Bessent, John Paulson and Larry Kudlow, Lighthizer and Howard Lutnick for the post of Treasury Secretary.
Apart from Grenell, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s fourth and final National Security Adviser during his first term, is also potential Secretary of State.
A U.S. senator from Tennessee who worked on Trump’s 2016 transition effort, Hagerty is considered a top contender for Secretary Of State
He served as Ambassador to Japan in the first Trump administration.
Earlier in the year, he voted against a major military aid package for Ukraine.
Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, is also a top Secretary of State contender.
Mike Waltz, a former Army Green Beret who is currently a U.S. congressman from Florida, is potential Defence Secretary.
Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA Director and Secretary of State during Trump’s first term, is considered a top contender for Secretary of Defense.
He stands out as possibly the fiercest defender of Ukraine among Trump’s close allies.
Keith Kellogg is a potential candidate for national security posts.
A retired Lieutenant General who served as Chief of Staff to the National Security Council under Trump, Kellogg is a contender for several national security-related positions.
During the campaign, he presented Trump with a plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Tom Homan is a contender for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Homan served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a year and a half during Trump’s first term.
Chad Wolf is also a contender for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Wolf served as Trump’s Acting Secretary of Homeland Security for roughly 14 months during his first presidency.
He may have a shot at heading back to DHS.
Wolf loyally carried out Trump’s hard-line immigration policies.
He resigned on January 11, 2021, just days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Yet another potential Homeland Security Secretary is Mark Green.
A former Army flight surgeon and the current chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, Green is considered by some Trump allies in Washington as a contender for the top job at DHS.
A former Congressman and prosecutor who served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s last year in office, Ratcliffe is seen as a potential Attorney General.
The president-elect’s allies view Ratcliffe as a hardcore Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation.
Mike Lee is also potential Attorney General.
A U.S. senator from Utah, Lee is widely seen as another top candidate for attorney general.
Though the former prosecutor declined to vote for Trump during the 2016 election, he later became an unwavering ally.
Lee was a key figure in attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Kash Patel is a potential candidate for national security posts.
A former Republican House staffer, Patel has served in various high-ranking staff roles in the defense and intelligence communities during Trump’s first term.
Some Trump allies would like to see Patel appointed as CIA Director.