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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Susan Summerall Wiles will serve as his White House chief of staff.
Wiles, Trump's 2024 campaign senior adviser who was widely seen as a top contender to become his new chief of staff, will become the first woman to serve in the position.
She joined Trump's campaign after working as a top adviser to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and is credited with playing a key role in helping deliver Trump the White House for a second time. Wiles is a veteran campaign adviser and known by some as the "ice maiden" for her effectiveness as a political operative.
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Trump acknowledged Wiles' role in his campaign, saying in a statement Thursday that she "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."
Trump won the 2016 presidential campaign, notching more Electoral College votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton. He lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, who beat Trump in the popular vote and in the Electoral College.
"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected," Trump said in his statement Thursday.
He added that Wiles 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."
Wiles is well-known in political circles. Earlier this year, Politico described her as "the most feared and least known political operative in America." The Hill called her "the most powerful Republican you don't know," and The New York Times said Wiles was "perhaps the most significant voice" in Trump's third presidential campaign.
Trump's transition team has kicked into high gear since his decisive victory in the 2024 election, and the president-elect and his advisers are said to be weighing a number of longtime loyalists for top government roles.
Among the names that have reportedly been floated are Florida Senator Marco Rubio; Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state in Trump's first administration; Richard Grenell, Trump's ambassador to Germany; Robert Lighthizer, the president-elect's top trade representative; and former U.S. Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, who served as Trump's director of national intelligence in 2020 and 2021.
Update 11/07/24, 7:22 p.m.: This article has been updated with further information and background.
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