WASHINGTON (AP) – With her selection as President-elect Donald Trump’s next White House chief of staff, veteran Florida political strategist Susie Wiles will take on a behind-the-scenes role, primarily as campaign co-chair. from the role to a prominent position in the presidential campaign. The President’s closest advisers and advisors.
She has been involved in politics for many years. But who is Wiles, the operative who will become the first woman to hold the powerful role of White House chief of staff?
She has decades of experience, most of it in Florida
Wiles, the daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, worked in the Washington office of New York Congressman Jack Kemp in the 1970s. He then joined Ronald Reagan’s campaign and worked as a scheduler in the White House.
Wiles then headed to Florida, where he advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Congressman Tillie Fowler. What followed was a turbulent state-wide campaign in Florida politics, with Wiles credited with helping businessman Rick Scott win the governor’s race.
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She briefly managed Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign and then managed Trump’s 2016 campaign in Florida, where victory landed Trump the White House. contributed to the acquisition.
She has a past with Ron DeSantis
Two years later, Wiles helped elect Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida. But a rift developed between the two, ultimately leading DeSantis to urge the 2020 Trump campaign, which was once again in charge of the then-president’s state campaign, to sever ties with the strategist. Ta.
Wiles ultimately led Trump’s primary campaign against DeSantis, defeating the Florida governor. Trump campaign aides and their outside allies gleefully mocked DeSantis throughout the campaign, criticizing him for the way he laughs, eats and wears lifts in his boots. They also used inside information that they suspected was obtained from people associated with the Trump campaign. The staff also worked for DeSantis and had bad experiences.
At the time of the announcement, Wiles had only posted three times on X this year. Just before DeSantis withdrew from the presidential race in January, Wiles made a rare appearance on social media. In response to a message from DeSantis that he had removed upcoming events from his campaign website, she responded with a short but clear message: “Goodbye. Goodbye.”
She avoids the spotlight – for the most part
Mr. Wiles joined Mr. Trump’s third presidential campaign early on and is one of the few senior government officials to survive the entirety of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, leaving him with a more professional operation for his third White House bid. He was part of the team that put together the Regardless, the president routinely breached guardrails.
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She largely shuns the spotlight, refusing to take the microphone to speak when President Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.
But she indicated she would do nothing more than take on volunteer-only assignments. When President Trump appeared in Iowa last July, while the former president posed for photos with a long line of voters, Wiles grabbed a clipboard and announced that Trump would attend the caucuses. I started approaching people waiting to have their appointment cards filled out. Leadoff primary contest.
Chris Lacivita, who co-chaired Wiles’ campaign with Wiles, said: “If someone leaves a conference room after a meeting and leaves trash on the table, Susie grabs it and throws it in the trash. That’s my role,” he said.
Another of her three posts on X this year comes in the final days of the campaign, when billionaire Mark Cuban says there are no “strong, intelligent women” in President Trump’s orbit. He received applause for his statement. After Wiles was chosen as White House chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Trump supporter, said Wiles had chosen a “strong, intelligent woman” to be his chief of staff. quipped Mr.
She can control some of President Trump’s worst impulses
Wiles said she could curb Trump’s worst impulses not by reprimanding or lecturing him, but by winning Trump’s respect and showing her that it’s better to follow her advice than to ignore it. I was able to do it. At one point late in the campaign, when Trump gave a widely criticized speech in Pennsylvania in which he went off-kilter and suggested the media could be shot, Wiles came out and silently criticized Trump. I looked at Mr.
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Mr. Trump referred to Mr. Wiles frequently during his campaign, saying he was often referred to as his “most successful campaign” and publicly praising Mr. Wiles’ leadership.
“She’s amazing. It’s unbelievable,” he said at a rally in Milwaukee earlier this month.
Does she have staying power?
President Trump had four chiefs of staff during his first administration, including one who served as his deputy for a year, during a period of record personnel turnover.
The chief of staff serves as the president’s confidant, helping carry out the agenda and balancing competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as gatekeepers, helping to decide who the president spends his time with and who he talks to, an effort that has sparked dissatisfaction within the White House. I was holding her.
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President Trump has repeatedly said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. At the time, he said, it was his first time in Washington and he didn’t know anything else.
But now Trump says he knows the “best talent” and who to avoid for work.
Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Zeke Miller in Washington and Jill Colvin in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
