By Alexandra Ulmer and Steve Holland
(Reuters) – As Donald Trump took the stage in West Palm Beach, Florida to claim victory in last week’s presidential election, he called his campaign manager Susie Wiles from behind a row of family members to thank her.
“Susie! Susie! Susie likes to stay a little bit in the back,” Republican Trump said as Wiles, 67, came forward and shook his hand.
Trump invited Wiles to address the crowd. She shook her head several times and quickly retreated to the back of the stage.
That self-effacement is typical of Wiles, a longtime Florida resident Republican strategist whose smart strategies, stealth and work ethic helped Trump engineer a stunning political comeback, culminating in his Nov. 5 victory in the presidential election.
As newly elected president, Trump’s first appointment meant that Wiles would become chief of staff of his incoming administration, immediately making her one of Washington’s top power brokers.
In interviews with a dozen advisers, donors and allies, Wiles was described as a publicity-shy loyalist who helped shape Trump’s winning message to Latin Americans and the working class. Along the way, she also became a rare stabilizing influence on the famously volatile Trump.
“She was one of the few people who sat in a room and gave the president advice and he took it,” said Ed McMullen, a Trump fundraiser and his previous ambassador to Switzerland.
Wiles and her campaign co-chair, Chris LaCivita, also helped Trump secure major endorsements and relentlessly attack Harris, developing the successful strategy of campaigning on his multiple criminal charges.
It is fair to say that Wiles has failed to always keep Trump to the script. And as his campaign manager, she is ultimately responsible for overseeing the darkest election campaign in recent American history.
Along the way, Trump vowed retaliation against political opponents, used racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric that demonized immigrants and said migrants entering the United States illegally were “poisoning the blood” of the country. He often used apocalyptic language to describe a nation he said was in ruins, and questioned whether his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, was black.
It is not clear what role Wiles played in crafting those statements — Trump often deviated from prepared speeches — or in Trump’s decision to embrace even darker rhetoric in the final weeks of the campaign.
Wiles, who sources say strove to avoid palace intrigue, is the only Trump campaign manager to survive an entire campaign cycle without being kicked out or demoted. Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, for example, were marked by infighting, leaks to reporters and firings.
But as chief of staff, Wiles will face an even greater challenge in keeping both Trump, 78, and his administration in check.
Trump went through four chiefs of staff during his chaotic 2017-2021 presidency. However, none of the four — Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney and Mark Meadows — had worked with Trump on a day-to-day basis on his campaign before being appointed to the job.
As chief of staff, Wiles will lead the White House staff, organize the president’s time and schedule and liaise with other government departments and lawmakers.
Influential pro-Trump lobbyist and donor Brian Ballard said Wiles would give Trump “wise counsel.”
Wiles, who got her start in Republican Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign and later went on to work for several moderate Republicans, declined to comment on her future role.
A LOYALIST WITH A LOW PROFILE
Although Wiles prefers to keep a low profile, she is not a braggart, and politicians hate to cross her.
After falling out with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose 2018 gubernatorial campaign she would help revive, she was hired by Trump to run his Florida operation during his failed 2020 campaign.
Her knowledge of DeSantis later helped the Trump campaign in an early attack against the Florida governor during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, in which Trump easily sidelined DeSantis, once seen as his heir apparent.
McMullen, Trump’s former envoy, described Wiles as a calm manager who never raises her voice, does not seek to micromanage staff and does not seek personal glory.
“You will never see Susie Wiles write a book about her experiences, good or bad,” McMullen added.
When Wiles joined the 2024 campaign, McMullen said, she immediately contacted the leadership team in key states to tell them she would always be available. She also had biweekly phone calls with key Republicans, McMullen said, which “kept the gossipers at bay.”
Wiles’ personal history may also have helped her get to this moment. Wiles is the daughter of the late Pat Summerall, a prominent football player and sportscaster.
“Susie had a father who was very much like Donald Trump, who is demanding and highly regarded in the public eye,” McMullen said, adding that that experience helped Wiles manage Trump.
A veteran of Trump’s first term in the White House said Trump is attracted to two types of people: those who defend him on cable news networks and others who are quietly competent.
“She is someone who puts her head down and works very hard,” the source said.
(Additional reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
