Trump announces Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff, first in history

Trump has announced Susie Wiles, his campaign manager as his Chief of Staff. This makes her the first woman in American history to hold that position.

According to him, she has been instrumental in all his presidential campaigns and most recently the comeback to the White House which makes her well deserving of the honours.

“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” the president-elect said in a statement.

Read also: Meet Susie Wiles, the silent operator behind Trump’s campaign

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump added.

Wiles is widely credited for running what was seen as Trump’s most sophisticated and disciplined campaign.

Read also: Donald Trump wins US presidential election

For most of the campaign, she was in charge of the flight manifest for Trump’s private plane – a thankless job that required her to shut down access to the former president when he wouldn’t tell someone “no” himself.

The chief of staff post — the second-most-important office in the West Wing — is one of the job positions in America that has never been held by a woman. Also, no woman has ever assumed the top Pentagon position, nor has one served on the joint chiefs of staff or as the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

The daughter of the late NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall and a seasoned political operative from Florida, Wiles is one of the longest-serving advisers to Trump. After helping him win Florida in 2020, she served as his de facto chief of staff during his post-presidency and then led his campaign for the entirety of the race – a rare feat in the Trump world.

On election night, Trump credited Wiles during his victory speech, though she declined to address the crowd gathered at the Palm Beach Convention Center, instead turning the microphone over to co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita.

Her willingness to stay in the background has endeared her to Trump and to his allies, several of whom have already endorsed her publicly for the job.