Who is Susie Wiles? The first woman White House chief of staff
West Palm Beach, FL - November 6 : President of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Dana White, Eric Trump, Susie Wiles and Lara Trump listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after being declared the winner dur
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Susie Wiles, who was named Donald Trump’s new White House chief of staff, would become the first woman to ever hold the prominent role as the president's closest adviser and counsel.
Who is Susie Wiles?
What we know:
Susie Wiles, the daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp in the 1970s. Wiles also had stints with Ronald Reagan’s campaign and in his White House as a scheduler.
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Wiles traveled to Florida and advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Rep. Tillie Fowler. Wiles was also credited with helping businessman Rick Scott win the governor’s office.
She briefly managed Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign, and ran Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential effort in Florida, when his win in the state helped him clinch the White House, the Associated Press reported.
Wiles has worked with Ron DeSantis
Dig deeper:
Wiles helped get Ron DeSantis elected as Florida's governor.
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The AP reported that DeSantis and Wiles developed a rift that led to DeSantis to urge Trump's 2020 campaign to sever its ties with Wiles, when she was again running the then-president's state campaign.
Can Wiles control Trump’s impulses?
Big picture view:
Wiles was able to manage Trump’s impulses by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice.
The AP noted during later stages in his campaign, when Trump delivered a speech in Pennsylvania in which he wandered off his talking points and implied he wouldn't mind the media being shot, Wiles came out to stare at him silently.
The president-elect often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, praising her leadership of what he said he was told was his "best-run campaign." "She’s incredible. Incredible," Trump said at a Milwaukee rally in November.
Will Wiles have staying power as Trump’s chief of staff?
What's next:
During his first administration, Trump went through four chiefs of staff. According to the AP, a chief of staff serves as the president’s confidant, helping to carry out an agenda and balancing competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping to figure out whom the president spends their time and to whom they speak.
The AP noted that Trump has said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. The former president was new to Washington, D.C. then, he said, and did not know any better. But now, Trump says, he knows the "best people" and those to avoid for jobs.