Updated: 20 a few seconds ago Published: 21 a few seconds ago

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the manager of his victorious campaign, as White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential post.

Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was considered the leading contender for the job. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the microphone to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.

She was able to do what few others could: help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by berating him or lecturing him, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was worth better follow his advice rather than flouting it.

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to make America great again,” Trump said in a statement. “It is a well-deserved honor that Susie is the first female Chief of Staff in U.S. history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.

Trump has had four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of the record staff turnover rate in his administration.

Successful Joint Chiefs serve as confidants to the president, help execute the president’s agenda, and balance competing policy and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as gatekeepers, helping determine who the president spends his time with and who he talks to — an effort that Trump has chafed at in the White House.

The chief of staff is “absolutely essential to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the role of the White House chief of staff has shaped and defined a presidency. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is to tell the president what he doesn’t want to hear.”

Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who managed Trump’s campaign in the state in 2016 and 2020. Before that, she managed Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for governor of Florida and briefly served as director of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Chris LaCivita, who with Wiles served as co-manager of the campaign, posted on X: “So happy and proud of one of the fiercest and most loyal warriors I have ever had the pleasure of working with! !!”