Washington DC, United States

US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed the first member of his Trump 2.0 cabinet- Susie Wiles as the White House chief of staff. This is a historic first as Wiles will be the first woman in the US to hold the role. 

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You might have noticed her recently at Trump’s victory speech at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on November 5, where Trump referred to her as the “ice maiden” who “likes to sort of stay in the back.” Wiles was the campaign chief for Trump’s race to the White House in 2024.

In a statement appointing veteran Florida strategist Wiles for the high-profile role, Trump says, “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected.”

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“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.

This appointment is also significant for Trump’s image of being a “racist and misogynist.” Appointing Wiles as the first female for such a role stands as an early test of his new administration. 

Who is Susie Wiles, a Republican strategist, now Donald Trump’s new White House chief of staff

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Susie Wiles is the daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall. She worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp in the 1970s. 

Wiles has been a Republican strategist for a long time, mainly in Florida and is widely credited for her disciplined and effective campaign during the US presidential election. She co-managed the Trump’s 2024 campaign with Chris LaCivitia.

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She did not always succeed at stopping Trump from going off-script, but she kept damaging media leaks to a relative minimum and launched a bold and successful strategy to win over some Latino and Black voters that led the former president to a decisive win.

During the 1980 Republican campaign, she also worked with Republican Ronald Reagan. Interestingly, for years Wiles worked with some moderate Republicans who had absolutely different policies than those of Trump.

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In her later career, Wiles even worked with combative party people like US Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who later became Trump's ally.

She was also a key figure in Ron DeSantis’ successful 2018 Florida governor campaign. 

‘Ice maiden’

As Trump called her an "ice maiden" during his victory speech, Wiles is considered a less enigmatic for a political strategist.

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She rarely gives televised interviews and avoids speaking engagements. Her personality contrasted with that of LaCivita, who was notably outspoken.

But, like many successful campaign managers, she can be ruthless when merited.

(With inputs from agencies)