Days after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced that his campaign manager, Susan Summerall Wiles, will serve as his White House chief of staff when he assumes office next year.
Trump said in a statement on Thursday that Wiles “just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history” and “is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected”.
“It is a well deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in United States history,” he continued. “I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Following Trump’s announcement, 67-year-old Wiles is now the first woman to be appointed White House chief of staff.
The Trump transition team is currently working to choose top members of the incoming administration, including the heads of all 15 executive departments, such as the secretaries of state and defence, from 20 January.
In his victory speech this week, Trump referred to Wiles as “the ice maiden” as she stood behind him on stage.
She operates mostly “in the back”, the president-elect said, but she is known as one of the most feared political operatives in the US.
“Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” he added in his statement on Thursday, referring to his oft-repeated campaign slogan.
