Susie Wiles expects no ‘drama’ in the West Wing when she takes over as Trump’s chief of staff
Wiles, 67, has reportedly received the nickname ‘ice maiden’ from Donald Trump and served as his campaign co-chair in 2024
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles plans to take a no-nonsense unified approach to running the West Wing of the White House to prevent the mistakes of her boss’s first administration from plaguing his second.
Wiles, 67, is sometimes referred to as the “ice maiden” – a nickname Trump bestowed upon her due to her cool composition and ability to wrangle Trumpworld into an organized fashion. She exercised that attitude in an exclusive interview with Axios about her plans for the White House.
"I don’t welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles said via email. "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission."
Wiles’s philosophy seems to take lessons learned from Trump’s first administration which saw unprecedented turnover and a culture of leaks.
Trump and his allies have often blamed their lack of political experience in Washington D.C. for the chaotic administration. The president-elect has come to highly value loyalty due to the revolving door of cabinet members and staffers that sometimes turned their back on Trump.
But Wiles is determined to prevent that this time around.
Part of her method is to keep conversations between her and Trump quiet. She never tells others what she tells Trump and only disagrees with him privately, according to Axios.
"I have every hope that the 47 administration will not have the same number of attempts to put sand in the gears," Wiles told the outlet.
Wiles rose to public prominence by helping bring Trump’s latest presidential campaign to victory. She played a massive role while keeping herself out of the spotlight – a relatively rare position in Trumpworld.
Wiles isn’t motivated by fame or money, sources told the New York Times. Instead, she enjoys remaining behind the scenes and influencing powerful people – not managing them.
Though she was not known publicly, Wiles is a veteran of political campaigns.
She worked on Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaigns and helped get Rick Scott elected governor of Florida. Before joining Trump’s campaign she helped Florida Governor Ron DeSantis get elected and rise to national prominence.
There’s no exact secret to her methods but she told Axios that “teamwork” and “mutual support” are key.
“It’s not magic — set goals and timelines for me and the team and then work to exceed them. Simple, yes, but this worked quite nicely on the campaign,” Wiles added.
Perhaps one of Wiles’s most effective tools is her ability to remain in the shadows even while working with the soon-to-be most powerful person in the United States.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments