The second Trump administration is beginning to take shape, with the next president appointing a border czar, appointing an ambassador to the United Nations, and selecting the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
But the most important appointment President-elect Trump has made to date is his first appointment, Susie Wiles, as White House chief of staff.
Mr. Wiles is a Florida-based strategist who served as Mr. Trump's campaign manager. In his victory speech last week, Trump expressed “tremendous gratitude” for the work of Wiles and fellow campaign leader Chris Lacivita.
Wiles is less likely to seek the spotlight than many others in Trump's orbit.
“Susie likes to be in the back. …We call her Ice Baby,” he said.
Wiles, the first woman to hold the job, will need all her poise and discipline to succeed.
During President Trump's first term, he served as chief of staff for four people: Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, and Mark Meadows.
The main challenges that Wilds may face are:
Manage and manage playing cards
One of the key jobs for the chief of staff is to maintain the president's confidence.
This was a special problem during the first Trump administration, at least as far as Priebus and Kelly were concerned.
Although President Trump often appeared to be reining in Priebus, his closest MAGA allies saw him as an unwelcome emissary from the Republican establishment.
When Kelly, a retired Marine general, took office, he sought to impose more discipline on a chaotic White House. But the rigidity of that approach appears to have ultimately frustrated President Trump.
Mulvaney, who served as President Trump's acting chief of staff for 14 months, told the column that he believes Wiles can do better.
She “has exactly the kind of skill set that you need to be successful. I think she's well-suited to be a really good chief of staff,” he said.
Mulvaney added: “She seems to have Mr. Trump's trust, and she seems to have the respect of other people when it comes to representing Mr. Trump.”
Preventing leaks
President Trump's first White House was difficult in every way. But the prevalence of leaks was one big example.
MAGA supporters suspected that President Trump's policies were being undermined by leaks, particularly from within the national security and foreign policy establishment. But they themselves will also leak to advance themselves or hurt rivals within Trump's court.
The White House is not without leaks.
But Mr. Wiles' supporters point out that Trump's 2024 presidential campaign ran as a much tighter ship than his 2016 insurrection campaign.
The hope among Republicans is that this approach will carry over to the White House now that she is in power.
They also argue that Wiles' relative aversion to the spotlight may help.
“She's covert and powerful, and those are the people who are most valued and useful,” said Brad Blakeman, a senior White House staffer to former President George W. Bush.
“She's already running a flawless, strategic campaign.”
There is another positive indicator regarding the leak issue.
Wiles first rose to national prominence as a key aide to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).
However, the two apparently became estranged after DeSantis accused Wildes of leaking it to the press.
She was so furious with this suggestion that it is said to have effectively ended their professional relationship.
cut back stab
The White House leaks of Trump's first term were just the most obvious manifestation of an administration rife with sectarianism and personal rivalries.
But insiders say Wiles may have one big advantage. As Trump's first chief of staff during his second term, she will be able to set up her own team.
“The most important thing about her appointment is that it was her first job,” Mulvaney said. “Mr. Trump trusted her to put together the West Wing team. She will not be taking over the team. She will be involved in building that team from the ground up.”
Doug Hay, former communications director for the Republican National Committee, said Wiles' familiarity with Trump is also an advantage.
“Importantly, Mr. Trump trusts her,” Hay said. “All of Trump's first White House hires during the 2016 campaign were essentially new to Trump.”
Priebus, President Trump's first chief of staff, seemed to hint at this dynamic in a recent interview with The Washington Post.
“Susie is in a very different place than I am,” Priebus told the Post. “She doesn't share power with anyone.”
Dealing with Capitol Hill
Of course, Trump will eventually have a legislative staff.
He is likely to form a unified Republican government, with Republicans holding a majority in the Senate and likely a majority in the House as well.
However, the majority in the House will be small, which could make it difficult.
Mulvaney said that can pose challenges from a chief of staff perspective, especially with a president as free-spirited as Trump.
“If there's one thing I'm worried about, it's this: She's going to have to be able to prove that she speaks for the president. If she doesn't, she won't have any credibility on the Hill.” “I won't be able to do it,” he said.
Mulvaney said that during his time in the White House, various members of the administration communicated President Trump's positions on certain issues to members of Congress, only for the then-president to publicly move in a different direction. he added.
“Then the leadership on the Hill would be talking directly to the president, which could be cumbersome,” he said.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
