Axios interview: Susie Wiles vows to block West Wing troublemakers

Why it matters: Trump's 2024 campaign was more organized and less leaky than any previous Trump team. Wiles, who was co-campaign manager, gets much of the credit. Two weeks from today, she'll bring her formula to Washington.

Between the lines: Wiles, 67, will become the first woman to be White House chief of staff — and the fifth person to serve Trump in that role.

• The veteran Florida political operative — a former lobbyist who worked for Trump's GOP primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in 2018 — has become a true Trump loyalist who stuck with him during his post-Jan. 6 political exile.
• That earned the trust of the typically mistrustful Trump. So Wiles has become the motherboard of the MAGA mainframe: Trump programs what he wants; she tries to turn it into reality.
• Wiles already is exercising power: During Friday's chaotic reelection of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a photo from the House floor showed the iPhone screen of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Trump loyalist, on the line with "Susie Wiles."

The backstory: Wiles says she tries not to manage Trump — and dislikes chatter that she does, pointing out that she managed the campaign, not the candidate.

• She never tells others what she tells Trump. If she disagrees with him, it's not done in front of anyone — and it doesn't leak. She avoids the spotlight. To survive in the MAGA-verse, you have to always remember that Trump is the star around which others revolve.
• "Susie likes to stay sort of in the back, let me tell you!" Trump said during his Election Night victory speech, as he thanked Wiles and co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita. "The Ice Maiden. We call her the Ice Maiden."
• Trump invited Wiles to speak. She shook her head "no."

Zoom in: Wiles is looking past the fabled first 100 days of a new administration — "an artificial metric," she told us — and said the most critical period will be between the inauguration and the 2026 midterms. For those precious two years, Republicans know they'll have full control of Congress.

• Translation: All gas and no brakes. Promises made and kept.

The blueprint, Wiles said, includes "getting off to a quick start and staying on that pace, together with an expectation of excellence every day."

• The plans, she said, are all about "engendering public support" to deliver on Trump's promises and policies, including promoting energy production, "rolling back redundant and burdensome regulations, keeping taxes low, cutting government waste through DOGE [the new Department of Government Efficiency], and most importantly, sealing the border and deporting criminals who are in this country illegally."

Trump's first administration "had an enviable level of accomplishment" despite "impeachment attempts and other witch hunts," Wiles said, sounding Trumpian.

• "I have every hope that the 47 administration will not have the same number of attempts to put sand in the gears," she told us. "We are off to a fast start with congressional work, hiring the best people, preliminary discussion with heads of state, fine-tuning his policy agenda, and planning for the first 100 days."

Lightly edited excerpts from Wiles' interview with Axios' Marc Caputo:

Q. How will the Trump 47 administration differ from Trump 45?

• Wiles: Trump "knows much more about the way the Washington institutions work, especially the need to have people who are serving be both competent and loyal. He has taken a keen interest in personnel and has personally interviewed and hired all the Cabinet and many sub-Cabinet hires."

Q. How did you and Trump approach the transition?

• Wiles: "He engaged fully with hiring ... He interviewed the Cabinet leadership, and made it clear his priorities for White House and agency staff.  We set timelines and held ourselves accountable for the deadlines we set. President Trump 47 will have the finest public servants available with great work ethic, a demonstrated ability to break down bureaucratic walls to help hold the bloated federal workforce accountable, have fealty to the conservative and common-sense principles that President Trump ran — and won — on, and be determined to make a difference during their time serving.  We are cognizant of a turning clock — much to do."

Q. What will the hallmark of this West Wing be?

• Wiles: "The West Wing staff is a mix of new and veterans — many are young, all are prepared to work punishing hours," Wiles said. "To my core, I believe in teamwork. Anyone who cannot be counted on to be collaborative, and focused on our shared goals, isn't working in the West Wing."

Q. What was Trump's instruction to the transition team?

• Wiles: "Be smart with hiring. Remember what President Trump promised the American people he would do: Set goals and then exceed them in every area, with every staff member."

Q. What did you learn on the campaign trail that you'll apply in the White House?

• Wiles: "I cannot stress teamwork and mutual support enough. ... It's not magic — set goals and timelines for me and the team and then work to exceed them. Simple, yes, but this worked quite nicely on the campaign."

Q. What has President Biden's team been like to work with during the transition?

• Wiles: White House chief of staff Jeff Zients "has been very helpful. He has made great suggestions, helped make sure we stay on time with required functions, helped us navigate the labyrinth that is the Executive Office of the President, and been very professional. He introduced me to the 'former chief of staff club' and even hosted a dinner [for Wiles and the former chiefs] at his beautiful home."

Q. You're a Floridian. Trump is a Florida resident. The campaign was based in West Palm Beach, and now the transition is. Several of his top picks are Floridians. How will that affect this administration?

• Wiles: "Florida people overpopulate the leadership of the administration, and we would not have it any other way!"