WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump named Susie Wiles, the de facto manager of his victorious campaign, as White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role.

Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was considered the leading contender for the job. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the microphone to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the official title of campaign manager, avoiding becoming a target, given Trump’s habit of going through people in that role.

Wiles’ hiring is Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test for his new administration as he must quickly build the team that will help him run the massive federal government. Wiles doesn’t bring much experience in the federal government, but has a close relationship with the president-elect.

During the campaign, Wiles was able to do what few others were able to do: help control Trump’s impulses – not by berating him or lecturing him, but by earning his respect and making him showing that it was better to follow his advice rather than flouting it. .

Eight years ago, Trump abandoned careful planning for his transition team and instead hired a motley assortment of campaign aides, family members and Republican insiders who spent most of his first year in power engaged in infighting that has dominated media coverage of the new administration. . It’s what many experts consider a fundamental mistake that hamstrung a president who was new to Washington and government when he was sworn in.

Trump experienced four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting role for a year — during his first administration, amid record churn. Many top aides were pushed out by Trump during his first term, who resented being made to feel managed or patronized, while others found themselves caught in ideological squabbles within the split west wing.

Trump aides hope Wiles’ selection will mark a sign that the president-elect aims to build a more cohesive team, even if it will almost certainly remain less conventional than his Democratic or Republican predecessors.

Trump, who promised in 2016 to hire “only the best people,” has since repeatedly said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he said, and didn’t know much. But now, Trump said, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for positions in his administration.

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to make America great again,” Trump said in a statement. “It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in history of the United States. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.

Successful chiefs of staff serve as confidants to the president, help execute the presidential agenda, and balance competing political and strategic priorities. They also tend to serve as gatekeepers, helping determine who the president spends his time with and speaks to — an effort that Trump has chafed at in the White House.

The chief of staff is “absolutely essential to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the role of the White House chief of staff shapes and defines a presidency. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is to tell the president what he doesn’t want to hear.”

“On the positive side, she showed that she could handle Trump, that she worked with him, and that she could tell him some hard truths sometimes, and that’s really important,” Whipple said. “On the negative side, she really has no experience in the White House and it hasn’t really worked in Washington for 40 years. And that’s a real disadvantage.”

Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who managed Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020, as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ successful bid in 2018. Before that, she managed the campaign of Rick Scott in 2010 for governor of Florida and served briefly. as manager of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Wiles also worked in the offices of former Jacksonville mayors John Delaney and John Peyton.

Chris LaCivita, who with Wiles served as de facto campaign manager, described Wiles as someone who is inclusive in conversations, seeks the opinions of others and is unapologetically loyal.

“Susie is functionally constructed differently because she has this rare commodity that allows her to work on so many different important issues simultaneously,” LaCivita told the Associated Press.

Wiles was the one responsible for having the toughest discussions with Trump and during every crucial conversation. She worked well with her family and developed relationships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk that placed her as a key conduit for Trump’s burgeoning alliances with those men.

“She can really handle any ego that comes her way,” LaCivita said. “And she doesn’t do it any other way than being very straightforward and on top of the details.”

He added: “The most important good in politics is honesty and loyalty and Susie has both in large quantities. »

Wiles was seen by Trump aides as someone who could guide his moods and impulses without necessarily holding him back. Trump frequently referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising his leadership for what he was often told was his “best-run campaign.”

“She’s amazing. Unbelievable,” he said at a rally in Milwaukee earlier this month,

At a rally in Pennsylvania where Trump made one of his final appearances before the election, he launched into a blasphemous, conspiracy-laden speech. Wiles was seen standing backstage and appearing to watch him.

Later, at a rally in Pittsburgh, Trump appeared to acknowledge his adviser’s efforts to keep the message on point.

After complaining that men are no longer allowed to call a woman “beautiful,” he asked if he could strike that word from the record. “I have the right to do that, don’t I, Susan Wiles?” he thought.