Donald Trump appoints Susan Wiles as first-ever woman chief of staff

US president-elect Donald Trump has appointed his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential cabinet position heading the White House executive office.

Calling her the "winner campaign manager," Trump said, "It is a well-deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history."

"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and universally admired and respected," he said in the announcement his campaign posted on X.

This is the first appointment that Trump has announced for his administration as his transition team helps him find people to fill jobs.

The Chief of Staff acts as the gatekeeper for the President and the liaison to Congress and government departments and agencies and also steers policy decisions.

On Wiles' role in his campaign, Trump said, she "just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history".

This is great news. Susie was a huge asset to President Trump on the campaign and will be a huge asset in the White House. She's also just a really good person. Onward! pic.twitter.com/Yj1aLYK4So

— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 7, 2024

Vice-president-elect J.D. Vance said on X, "This is great news. Susie was a huge asset to president Trump on the campaign and will be a huge asset in the White House."

Working with Trump could take a toll on the person holding the job.

During his last term, Trump went four chiefs of staff, including a retired Army general, John Kelly, who turned against him.

Kelly called Trump a "fascist" and backed vice-president Kamala Harris.

Wiles, 67, had worked in president Ronald Reagan's campaign in a junior position as a scheduler.

She rose through the ranks of political staff, working for several politicians and managing campaigns of governors, eventually managing Trump's 2016 campaign in Florida.

Trump appointed her in 2022 as the head of the Save America Political Action Committee, his fundraising organisation as he was planning his return to the White House.

When his campaign took off, she became one of its two principal managers.

Secretary of State is among the most important cabinet positions Trump would have to fill.

Media reports put Senator Marco Rubio, a former rival for the presidential nomination; Ric Grenell, a hardline former ambassador to Germany, and Senator Bill Hagerty, a former ambassador to Japan.

The name of former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who had also served as head of the Central Intelligence Agency, is floated as a potential defence secretary.