The Trump administration has broken through a glass ceiling before even taking its first steps. Susie Wiles (67 years old), with her genuine granny- bakery appearance , will be the first woman to occupy the key position of Chief of Staff of the next 47th President of the United States. This position of maximum trust of Trump has been well earned, co-directing the successful political campaign that has brought the New York millionaire back to the White House .
To European audiences, Donald Trump ’s campaign may seem like a bunch of nonsense. But it is a perfectly oiled machine for dominating the center of the debate. As Roger Stone , the new right’s favorite agent provocateur, said, Trump’s policy is aimed at an unsophisticated audience through simple messages repeated ad nauseam, making it very clear that his real competition is not his Democratic opponent, in this case Kamala Harris , but porn , Netflix and video games . In this context, the horror film about Haitian immigrants eating American citizens’ pets is understandable . It succeeds in galvanizing the global conversation, introduces the hot topic of immigration and strikes at the heart of voters who love their dogs more than their neighbors. Whether or not this is true is clearly secondary.
The choice of Susie Wilse as Chief of Staff is further proof that, despite appearances, in the Trumpist movement little or nothing is left to chance. Her figure functions as a counterpoint to the president himself: a woman with forty years of career as a consultant and political strategist (she started in Ronald Reagan ‘s campaign ), always in the Republican sphere and above all in Florida , where she is considered, as Politico magazine wrote , “the most feared political agent in the US ”. In that same report, journalist Michael Kruse comments on Wilse’s personality: “her power is felt more than seen”, delimiting her area of influence to what happens behind the scenes.
On election night, she was one of the few people invited by Donald Trump to share the stage with his other campaign manager, Chris LaCivita , but he let her do all the talking and she chose to remain silent. Other commentators are more precise: “she is a real ninja grandmother ” because of her gentle manner and her implacable will.
For those who haven’t seen Aaron Sorkin ‘s famous late 90s series, The West Wing , the role of Chief of Staff includes activating the president’s political agenda , monitoring the relationship between the different administrations and congressional leaders, and commanding an army of advisors. Of course, since it is a position of utmost trust for the president, she is the authorized channel for his access. But in the case of Donald Trump , her role goes further. Not in vain, on the LinkedIn network , Wilse herself states that her intention is to “ create order in chaos ” and “ turn situations and perceptions around .” Apparently, she is a master of leaks .
Wilse came into contact with Trump in 2015 at his Manhattan tower and immediately signed her up for the operation to turn Florida into a Republican state. In 2018 she helped Ron DeSantis in his campaign to be governor, but once he was elected, he distrusted her and managed to kick her out of his entourage. However, the president decided to bring her back to lead his campaign and, as things stand, he was not wrong. “ Susie is tough, smart, innovative and universally admired and respected ,” Donald Trump has said of her .
Among the challenges he faces is preventing palace intrigues from affecting the president. It is said that one of the conditions he set for Trump to accept the post was that “ people cannot enter the White House as if it were a circus .” We will see if he achieves his goal.
