The former president called Wiles “tough, smart, innovative” in his statement Thursday announcing her new role, while Republicans across the spectrum championed her disciplined leadership as Trump’s co-campaign manager, which helped lead him to a historic comeback, and her history-making turn as the first female to serve as White House chief of staff.

“It’s very, very, very clear that she is a force and a very reasoned and rational force,” a former Trump official told the Washington Examiner. “So it’s kind of a breath of fresh air from some of the chaos that kind of clouded the first Trump administration.”

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“I do think he hit a home run with his selection of Susie. She’s a strong woman,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist. “She’s a true leader. She has a proven track record of getting things done. I think the biggest thing that she provides is stability, infrastructure, and she is respected by everyone inside Trump’s orbit and outside, that’s the key.”

Wiles, the daughter of sportscaster Pat Summerall, is a veteran Florida political operative who worked on Trump’s 2016 race as his Florida campaign director.

Eight years later, multiple GOP strategists credited her ability to navigate competing egos, limit backbiting among staffers, and tone down the former president’s most self-destructive actions in helping Trump win a second term.

“Susie Wiles is the ultimate pro, and President Trump made a fantastic choice by naming her chief of staff,” said Phil Cox, who helped run the pro-Trump America PAC, which is funded by Elon Musk. “The entire Republican Party already owes her a debt of gratitude for running a historic campaign, and we are well positioned to achieve unprecedented policy victories with Susie at the helm.”

Wiles avoids limelight but runs the ship

During Trump’s victory speech early Wednesday morning, the former president called for Wiles to address the crowd of supporters gathered at the Palm Beach Convention Center.

“Let me also express my tremendous appreciation for Susie and Chris (LaCivita, co-campaign manager), the job you did. Come, Susie,” Trump said.

Wiles demurred as other members of Trump’s inner circle addressed the crowd.

“Susie likes to stay in the back, let me tell you. We call her the ice maiden.” Trump claimed. “She is not in the background.”

The moment was emblematic of his campaign manager’s longtime reticence.

Since joining Trump’s third campaign after the GOP tried to write him off following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Wiles has rarely granted interviews with journalists, instead opting to maneuver the campaign in the background with steely confidence, which helped Trump topple Gov. DeSantis (R-FL) during the primary run.

“She has a very calming presence, but she’s kind of like the calm but stern grandmother that everyone either has or wishes they had,” said the Trump official. “She has a very open kind of welcoming persona about her, but also, she’s not someone you mess with. She’s very, very good at what she does. She’s extremely strategic, very sharp, but she doesn’t come off aggressive or too much.”

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The battle with DeSantis led to his ouster

DeSantis, perhaps more than any political leader, learned the hard way that ostracizing Wiles could come back to haunt him.

After helping the then-struggling congressman win Florida’s gubernatorial race in 2018, DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis, excommunicated her from their inner team due to suspicions she was taking too much credit for his success. They would also convince Trump’s campaign to fire her in 2020.

That mistake likely cost DeSantis the presidential nomination.

Wiles teamed up with Trump for his 2024 presidential campaign, and as the primary ratcheted up, negative stories about DeSantis’s campaign began to infiltrate the media, including one story about the governor eating pudding with his hands. Although there are no direct ties to Wiles, her knowledge of how to destroy DeSantis likely contributed to his downfall.

He would drop out one week after losing the Iowa primary by double digits in February.

Still, even former DeSantis rivals are touting Wiles in the wake of her promotion.

Erin Perrine, who worked on the super PAC backing DeSantis’s 2020 presidential campaign, said Wiles was a “tried and true professional,” and Jeb Bush, a former 2016 presidential rival to Trump, called Wiles a “great choice” while even her former competitors sang her praises.

“The strategy that Susie and her team designed and executed was innovative, gutsy, and produced tremendous results,” said Generra Peck, a former DeSantis campaign manager who also helped run America PAC. “President Trump is in great hands with Susie and it is a win for our entire country to have her leading the team in the White House that will carry out the MAGA mandate the voters rendered on Tuesday night.”

Other allies, such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), whom Wiles helped successfully run his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, were just as effusive.

“She knows how to build a great team, is a true leader, a trusted adviser, and a brilliant tactician,” said Scott.

Can Wiles handle the White House after the campaign?

Despite the effusive praise Wiles has received, there is some question about whether her talent in running campaigns can translate into running a White House.

Wiles has helped Trump, DeSantis, Scott, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), former President George W. Bush, and former President Ronald Reagan’s campaigns or offices, among others. She also has longtime experience as a lobbyist for Swisher International.

Yet supporters claimed the lack of experience won’t hinder her tenure.

“Susie keeps people on their toes, and trust me, they fear her,” said one Republican with ties to the Trump campaign who requested anonymity.

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Other Trump officials raised some concerns that like previous Trump chiefs of staff, such as Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, and Mark Meadows, Wiles would flame out.

“Donald Trump is not going to have a ‘gatekeeper.’ He’s not going to have someone who tells him who he can and can’t talk to. It didn’t work in the previous administration. It’s not gonna work in this administration. Many have tried. All have failed,” said one Trump source, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly.

Indeed, some reports claimed Trump’s penchant for pugnacious personalities who repel Republicans had caused some tensions with Wiles and LaCivita.

In one instance, Wiles acquiesced to Trump’s request to allow the controversial Laura Loomer to travel on his plane to his presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris and a New York City 9/11 memorial ceremony, provoking intense backlash. According to The Atlantic, Wiles would tell allies she and LaCivita had “lost control of the campaign.”

However, Stu Sandler, longtime GOP consultant who served as NRSC political director under Scott’s chairmanship, said Wiles could “people manage as good as anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Trump is going to hire the people he wants to hire. That being said, Susie is an incredible judge of talent and character,” Sandler continued. “So if she’s involved in the decision-making, she’s going to do a great job, but this is really Trump’s decision.”

Republican strategist Jason Roe pointed to Wiles’s successful navigation of Trump during the campaign and the victory over Harris as a top reason why her tenure could be different.

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“She seems to have his trust and know how to guide him to maybe the best reactions to things,” Roe said. “His administration has a window with these new majorities to get some things done, and it’s going to be hard. And I think having someone that seems adept at keeping everybody focused on the prize could make the difference for her.”

Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.