【中美创新时报2024 年 11 月 8 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）当选总统唐纳德·特朗普任命其获胜竞选活动的实际经理苏西·威尔斯为白宫办公厅主任，这是第一位担任这一有影响力职位的女性。美联社记者ZEKE MILLER、MICHELLE L. PRICE 和 JILL COLVIN对此作了下述报道。
威尔斯在特朗普的核心圈子内外都因管理迄今为止最有纪律、执行最完善的竞选活动而受到广泛赞誉，并被视为该职位的领先竞争者。她在很大程度上避开了聚光灯，甚至在特朗普周三早上庆祝胜利时拒绝拿起麦克风发言。她拒绝接受竞选经理的正式头衔，避免成为众矢之的，因为特朗普过去曾多次更换竞选经理。
聘用威尔斯是特朗普作为当选总统做出的第一个重大决定，也可能是对他即将上任的政府的决定性考验，因为他必须迅速组建一个团队来帮助管理庞大的联邦政府。威尔斯并没有为这个职位带来太多联邦政府经验，但与当选总统关系密切。
在竞选中，威尔斯能够做到其他人很少能做到的事情：帮助控制特朗普的冲动——不是通过责备他或说教，而是通过赢得他的尊重，并向他表明，听从她的建议比藐视她的建议更好。
八年前，特朗普放弃了精心策划的过渡团队，而是聘请了一群形形色色的竞选助手、家庭成员和共和党内部人士，他们在任职第一年的大部分时间里都参与了内斗，而新政府的新闻报道也充斥着内斗。许多专家认为，这是一个根本性的错误，让这位在宣誓就职时对华盛顿和政府还不熟悉的总统陷入困境。
特朗普在他的第一届政府中更换了四位幕僚长，其中一位曾担任代理职务一年，这是创纪录的人员变动的一部分。特朗普在他的第一任期内赶走了许多高级助手，他们讨厌被管理或屈尊俯就，而其他人则陷入了派系林立的白宫内部的意识形态争吵。
特朗普的助手们看到了希望，威尔斯的选择标志着这位当选总统正致力于建立一个更具凝聚力的团队，尽管这支团队几乎肯定会比他的民主党或共和党前任更不传统。
特朗普曾在 2016 年承诺只聘用“最优秀的人才”，此后他多次表示，他认为第一任期内最大的错误就是聘用了错误的人。他说，当时他刚到华盛顿，不懂什么。但现在，特朗普说，他知道谁是“最优秀的人”，谁不适合在他的政府中任职。
“苏茜坚强、聪明、创新，受到普遍的钦佩和尊重。苏茜将继续不懈努力，让美国再次伟大，”特朗普在一份声明中表示。“苏茜成为美国历史上第一位女性幕僚长，这是当之无愧的荣誉。我毫不怀疑她会让我们的国家感到骄傲。”
成功的幕僚长是总统的密友，帮助执行总统的议程，平衡相互竞争的政治和政策优先事项。他们还往往充当守门人，帮助决定总统与谁共度时光以及与谁交谈——特朗普在白宫内部对此感到不满。
克里斯·惠普尔 (Chris Whipple) 著有《守门人》(The Gatekeepers)，他表示，白宫办公厅主任“对白宫的有效性至关重要”。惠普尔的著作《守门人》详细介绍了白宫办公厅主任的角色如何塑造和定义总统任期。“归根结底，最重要的是告诉总统他不想听到的话。”
“从好的方面来看，她已经表明自己可以管理特朗普，她与他合作，有时可以告诉他残酷的事实，这真的很重要，”惠普尔说。“从坏的方面来看，她真的没有白宫经验，40 年来也没有在华盛顿工作过。这是一个真正的劣势。”
威尔斯是佛罗里达州的长期共和党战略家，曾在 2016 年和 2020 年负责特朗普在该州的竞选活动，并帮助佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯 (Ron DeSantis) 在 2018 年成功竞选。在此之前，她曾负责里克·斯科特 (Rick Scott) 2010 年的佛罗里达州州长竞选活动，并曾短暂担任前犹他州州长乔恩·亨茨曼 (Jon Huntsman) 2012 年总统竞选活动的经理。
威尔斯还曾在前杰克逊维尔市长约翰·德莱尼 (John Delaney) 和约翰·佩顿 (John Peyton) 的办公室工作。
克里斯·拉西维塔 (Chris LaCivita) 与威尔斯一起担任事实上的竞选经理，他将威尔斯描述为一个在对话中具有包容性、寻求他人意见并坚定忠诚的人。
拉西维塔告诉美联社：“苏茜的职能与众不同，因为她拥有一种罕见的才能，能够同时处理许多不同的重要问题。”
威尔斯负责与特朗普进行最艰难的讨论，以及每一次关键对话。她与特朗普的家人合作得很好，并与小罗伯特·肯尼迪和埃隆·马斯克建立了关系，这使她成为特朗普与这些人建立新联盟的关键渠道。
“她真的可以控制任何迎面而来的自负，”拉西维塔说。“她没有用其他任何方式做到这一点，只是非常直率，并且对细节了如指掌。”
他补充说：“政治中最重要的品质是诚实和忠诚，苏茜拥有大量的这两样东西。”
特朗普的助手认为威尔斯是一个可以引导他的情绪和冲动而不必约束他的人。特朗普经常在竞选过程中提到威尔斯，公开称赞她领导了特朗普，他说他经常被告知这是他“管理得最好的竞选活动”。
“她太不可思议了。不可思议，”他本月早些时候在密尔沃基的一次集会上说道，
在宾夕法尼亚州的一次集会上，特朗普在选举前最后一次露面，他发表了一次亵渎和充满阴谋的演讲。有人看到威尔斯站在舞台外，似乎在怒视他。
后来，在匹兹堡的一次集会上，特朗普似乎承认他的顾问努力让他坚持自己的观点。
在抱怨男人不再被允许称呼女人“美丽”之后，他问他是否可以从记录中删除这个词。“我可以这样做，不是吗，苏珊·威尔斯？”他若有所思地说。
题图：2024 年 7 月 27 日，共和党总统候选人、前总统唐纳德·特朗普抵达田纳西州纳什维尔时，特朗普联合竞选经理苏西·威尔斯出现在纳什维尔国际机场。Alex Brandon/美联社
附原英文报道：
President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff, first woman in the post
By ZEKE MILLER, MICHELLE L. PRICE and JILL COLVIN The Associated Press,Updated November 7, 2024
Trump co-campaign manager Susie Wiles is seen at Nashville International Airport as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.Alex Brandon/Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the defacto manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role.
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 seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the formal title of campaign manager, avoiding becoming a target, given Trump’s history of cycling through people in that role.
Wiles’ hire is Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration, as he must quickly build the team that will help run the massive federal government. Wiles doesn’t bring much federal government experience to the role, but has a close relationship with the president-elect.
On the campaign, Wiles was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump’s impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouting it.
Eight years ago, Trump tossed the careful planning of his transition team and instead hired a motley assortment of campaign aides, family members and Republican insiders who spent the better part of his first year in office engaged in infighting that dominated news coverage of the new administration. It was what many experts consider a foundational mistake that hamstrung a president who was new to Washington and government upon his swearing in.
Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of a record-setting personnel churn. Many top aides were cast out by Trump in his first term, who resented being made to feel managed or condescended to, while others got caught up in ideological spats within the factionalized West Wing.
Trump aides see hope that Wiles’ selection marks a sign that the president-elect is aiming to build a more cohesive team, though one that will almost certainly remain less conventional than his Democratic or Republican predecessors.
Trump, who promised in 2016 to hire “only the best people” has since repeatedly said that he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he has said, and didn’t know any better. But now, Trump said, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for roles in his administration.
“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 to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Successful chiefs of staff serve as the president’s confidant, help execute a president’s agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends his time with and whom he speaks to — an effort Trump chafed under inside the White House.
The chief of staff is “absolutely critical to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the White House chief of staff role shapes and defines a presidency. “At the end of the day the most important thing is telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear.”
“On the plus side, she’s shown that she can manage Trump, that she works with him and can sometimes tell him hard truths, and that’s really important,” said Whipple. “On the minus side, she really has no White House experience and hasn’t really worked in Washington in 40 years. And that’s a real disadvantage.”
Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ successful bid for office in 2018. Before that, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly served as the manager of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Wiles also worked in the offices of former Jacksonville mayors John Delaney and John Peyton.
Chris LaCivita, who along with Wiles served as de-facto campaign manager, described Wiles as someone who is inclusive in conversations, who seeks input from others and is steadfastly loyal.
“Susie is just functionally built differently because she has that rare commodity to be able to work on so many different important issues simultaneously,” LaCivita told The Associated Press.
Wiles was the one who was tasked with having the toughest discussions with Trump and on every pivotal conversation. She worked well with his family and developed relationships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk that put her in position as a key conduit for Trump’s budding alliances with those men.
“She can manage really any ego that comes her way,” LaCivita said. “And she doesn’t do it by any other way other than just being very straightforward and on top of the details.”
He added: “The most important commodity in politics is honesty and loyalty and Susie has both in copious amounts.”
Wiles was seen by Trump aides as someone who could guide his moods and impulses without necessarily restraining him. Trump often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership of what he said he was often told was his “best-run campaign.”
“She’s incredible. Incredible,” he said at a Milwaukee rally earlier this month,
At a rally in Pennsylvania where Trump made one of his last appearances before the election, he launched into a profane and conspiracy-laden speech. Wiles was spotted standing offstage and appearing to glare at him.
Later, at a rally in Pittsburgh, Trump seemed to acknowledge his adviser’s’ efforts to keep him on message.
After complaining that men aren’t allowed to call a woman “beautiful” any longer, he asked if he could strike that word from the record. “I’m allowed to do that, aren’t I, Susan Wiles?” he mused.
