PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump claimed a sweeping victory early Wednesday, and after thanking his family and his running mate, he said much of the credit belonged to top adviser Susie Wiles.
Her brief appearance on stage at Trump’s victory remarks gave the public a glimpse of Wiles, who is likely to become a powerful figure in Trump’s White House — she is rumoured to be a favourite for chief-of-staff — and is the highest-ranking woman in his campaign.
Wiles, a longtime Florida political operative, is one of the de facto co-chairs of the Trump campaign. Her long career in Florida politics includes a key role in helping Trump win Florida in 2016, flipping the state and setting it on a stunning trajectory to the right that has ushered in conservative policies like a six-week ban on abortion and restrictions on schools from discussing LGBTQ+ identity. Wiles went on to help Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to victory in both 2018 and 2022, though she eventually exited his administration and went on to say in an interview that working for the governor was the “biggest mistake” of her career.
It’s not clear what role Wiles’ influence will have on Trump in the White House. In an interview with Politico, Wiles said she “didn’t love” the events of January 6, 2021, when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol following a rally during which Trump said the election had been stolen from him. But, Wiles also said, “I didn’t think he caused it.”
“Susie, come. Susie, come here,” Trump said during his victory speech Wednesday, beckoning Wiles with his hands to say a few words on stage as she repeatedly declined to speak. “Susie likes to stay sort of in the back. Let me tell you, the ice baby. We call her the ice baby. … Susie likes to stay in the background. She’s not in the background.”
After Wiles declined, Trump again tried to usher her onto the mic as she continued to back away.
Wiles typically operates in the background, with one recent notable exception. Last week, Wiles took to the social media site X to push back on comments by billionaire Mark Cuban, who said Trump doesn’t surround himself with “strong, intelligent women.”
“I’m told [Mark Cuban] needs help identifying the strong and intelligent women surrounding Pres. Trump. Well, here we are!” Wiles said.
