US elections 2024: From campaign co-chair to White House chief of staff — who is Susie Wiles? All you need to know

US Elections 2024: Susie Wiles was appointed as the White House chief of staff just a day after Republican Donald Trump claimed a sweeping victory in the presidential polls. The person who was a campaign co-chair has now become the first woman adviser and counsel for the would-be US President.

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected," Trump said in a statement according to Reuters. 

Mint explores more about the ‘universally admired’ White House chief of staff.

Who is Susie Wiles?

Susie Wiles has been in the political circles for years and comes with decades of experience, most of that in Florida. Susie Wiles is known to keep away from the limelight but is also one of the most feared political operatives in the US.

American political magazine Politico describes Susie Wiles as one of the reasons Donald Trump was the GOP’s(Republican Grand Old Party) presumptive nominee, and Ron DeSantis was not. The magazine further predicted that the ex-POTUS would be the potential next POTUS, all because of Susie Wiles's vast political knowledge.

“There is nobody, I think, that has the wealth of information that she does. Nobody in our orbit. Nobody,” Politico quoted a Trump pollster as saying. Susie Wiles is someone who touches everything, the pollster had said.

Wiles has been at the helm of statewide campaigns for the Republicans since 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2020, helping Rick Scott, Trump, and DeSantis gain the support they needed.

‘Changes we must live with…’ says Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles, 67, is a mother and a grandmother. The daughter of late American football player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, she said she comes from a “traditional” political background.

“In my early career things like manners mattered and there was an expected level of decorum," she said, describing the Republican party as significantly different than the one of several decades ago.

Wiles agreed that today's GOP had vastly changed and that ‘living with the changes’ was a key to achieving goals. “ There are changes we must live with in order to get done the things we’re trying to do,” she said, as reported by Politico in its profile of the veteran politician.

What powers will Susie Wiles have?

A White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles in this case, will act as the US President's confidant, assisting in executing the agenda and balancing competing political and policy priorities. The Chief also serves as a gatekeeper, managing who the president meets with and what issues they engage with — a role that Trump often chafed against during his time in the White House.

Reportedly, Trump has repeatedly stated that the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He claimed that he was new to Washington before, but now has a clearer sense of who to avoid for key positions.