ORLANDO, Fla. — She might not be a household name, but Susie Wiles could soon be the most powerful woman in Washington D.C. as President-Elect Donald Trump’s second term begins.  And Wiles is no stranger to Florida politics.

What You Need To Know

  • As the first pick of his new administration, Trump tapped Susie Wiles as his chief of staff

  • Wiles served as co-chair in his re-election campaign

  • Wiles managed both Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis' successful first runs for governor, and managed Donald Trump's presidential campaigns in Florida in 2016 and 2020

As the first pick of his new administration, Trump tapped Wiles as his chief of staff. Wiles served as Trump’s campaign chair in his re-election campaign. She will be the first woman to serve in the role.

Those who know Wiles describe her as a steady hand behind the scenes, not someone who wants to be in the spotlight. That was obvious during a moment in Trump’s victory speech earlier this week.

“Susie likes to stay in the background, she’s not in the background,” said Trump.

Wiles managed Rick Scott’s successful campaign for governor in 2010, and Ron Desantis’s successful campaign for governor in 2018.

Kevin Wagner is a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University, and he asserts that she understands the electorate in the state in a key way.

“They weren’t always the most prominent campaigns when she became involved,” said Wagner. “And the proof is in the pudding as they say in how successful that she has been in managing campaigns that proved to be very successful in Florida, she understands the state very well and she knows how to win here.”

Wiles managed Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns in Florida, and joined him in a bigger role as he began his 2024 re-election bid. Campaign managers say she kept the Trump campaign disciplined. And now, calling her “tough, smart and innovative,” President-Elect Trump has chosen her to lead his agenda in his second term.

“The job is to control access to the white house and make sure the president sees the people he needs to see and doesn’t necessarily get bogged down with the things he doesn’t need to deal with, and if president trump lets her do that, I suspect she’ll be very good at that,” said Wagner.

And her deep ties in Florida politics could signal Florida’s influence in the second Trump term.

“I think in many ways the selection of her is a pretty good indicator that there’s going to be a lot of Florida influence in a new Trump administration,” said Wagner.

Wiles is one of Trump’s longest serving advisers, but it’s unclear how long she’ll stay in the chief of staff position. Trump had four chief of staffs in his first term as president.