The White House staff was headed by 67-year-old Susan (Susie) Wiles – an experienced political consultant and manager of Trump's last election campaign and, by the way, the first woman to hold the position of chief of staff of the White House.
She enjoys the considerable respect of US President Donald Trump and is rightly considered the savior of his political career.
Wiles has already shown her influence by distancing herself from her boss, the ubiquitous American billionaire Elon Musk.
Read about the influence of this “ice lady”, as she was dubbed in the press, on American politics in the article by “European Truth” journalist Oleg Pavlyuk, Who pushed Musk away from Trump? We are talking about Susie Wiles, the “gray cardinal” of the US president. Below is a brief description of her.
The first and perhaps most important thing to know about Susie Wiles: she is – a very private person who rarely gives interviews.
We know practically nothing about her personal political views. All the more remarkable is her path to becoming one of the most influential political technologists in the Republican Party, who found an approach to such an unpredictable politician as Donald Trump.
From the 1990s until the early 2010s, she was involved in the successful campaigns of two Jacksonville mayors – John Delaney and John Payton. The latter called Wiles “a great tactician and facilitator who helps a leader set and achieve his priorities.”
With Wiles' help, Florida political outsider Rick Scott unexpectedly won the gubernatorial election in 2010.
So she gained extensive lobbying experience and eventually headed the Mercury Agency, which provided services to, among others, Elon Musk's SpaceX and telecommunications giant AT&T.
In 2015, Wiles met another political outsider who was trying to win the US presidential election – Donald Trump – and later led his campaign in Florida and won there.
When Donald Trump began planning his re-election for a second term, Wiles took up his campaign in Florida again – and again brought him victory (by the way, it was the only “swing state” where Trump won in 2020).
On the first day after the 2024 election, during his first public speech, Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to Susie Wiles.
He invited her to the stage right after his running mate and current Vice President J.D. Vance.
Wiles' colleagues note her strengths as a political technologist. She brought the desired order to Donald Trump's campaign, controlled its narrative (to the extent that is possible with Trump), and also applied her outstanding organizational skills.
One of Wiles' colleagues generally called her Trump's longest-serving adviser, present at all of his key meetings. Those around the US president say he often includes her in phone calls on policy issues.
“Susie – is tough, smart, innovative and universally admired. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. She fully deserves the honor of being the first woman in US history to serve as White House chief of staff. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” – This is how Trump announced Wiles's appointment, the first of his administration.
Wiles has already brought her desire for organization and order to the White House.
In one of her first interviews in office, she cautiously but unequivocally stated: “I do not welcome people who want to work in solo mode or be stars. My team and I will not tolerate subterfuge, inappropriate speculation or intrigue.”
These words were obviously directed at Elon Musk. The billionaire made no secret of his desire to get an office in the White House next to Trump. But Wiles made efforts to insulate the billionaire from the president – and he will now take up residence in the building across from the White House.
But despite Susie Wiles' strengths and her demonstrated effectiveness, as a long-time Florida political strategist, she still doesn't have much experience working in Washington, which could be a problem.