Susie Wiles and Donald Trump Have a Storied Political History Together

Just two days after being elected, Donald Trump has announced his first cabinet decision: campaign manager Susie Wiles will be appointed White House Chief of Staff.

It's an incredibly important role that oversees the transfer of presidential power and manages their direct reporting team, as well as virtually all White House operations. It's a position not to be taken lightly.

It says a lot about Trump's trust in Wiles, which can be attributed to their years of successful campaign work together, beginning with his first run for president in 2016. Some have called her Trump's "secret weapon," and others — including Trump himself — call her the "Ice Maiden."

Let's take a look at Donald Trump and Susie Wiles's political relationship over the years.

Trump and Wiles — who will be the first woman to ever hold the position of Chief of Staff in the U.S. — began their political partnership back in 2016 during his first presidential run.

As a veteran of Florida politics, per The Guardian, Wiles had a plethora of experience working in the state and therefore was the perfect person to aid Trump's campaign efforts there. He tapped her to manage his campaign in the right-leaning state, and his win there is considered to have been instrumental in his overall victory in 2016.

After successfully managing Trump's efforts in Florida, though, she did not yet become a core part of his political team. In fact, she remained in Florida and focused her efforts on helping Ron DeSantis get elected as the state's governor.

However, a reported rift between the governor and his campaign manager led them to part ways — which would prove to be fatal for DeSantis's presidential primary campaign against Trump in 2020. After Trump and Wiles's first successful partnership, he sought her help again in his efforts against DeSantis.

As many will remember, Trump's primary campaign focused heavily on mocking DeSantis, from his mannerisms to his alleged heeled boots, and many believed that the insider information that Trump's aides deployed against the governor was provided to them by Wiles.

Of course, Trump went on to defeat DeSantis in the Republican primary race by a landslide, and Wiles seemed to be instrumental in that victory.

It only makes sense, then, that he would bring her on as his primary campaign manager for his 2024 run, which, as of Nov. 6, was proven to be incredibly successful.

“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a statement after being elected. He went on to call her "tough, smart, innovative," and "universally admired and respected."

In his victory speech, he also brought Susie to the forefront with praise and appreciation: "Come here, Susie. Susie likes to stay sort of in the back ... The Ice Maiden. We call her the Ice Maiden."

Only time will tell how her stint in the White House will go, or how it will impact Trump's presidential endeavors. But for now, it's entirely clear that Trump and Wiles will be an incredibly powerful team.