Susie Wiles’ Vision for Trump’s First Day in Office
In a significant gathering of Republican donors on Monday, Susie Wiles, the newly appointed White House chief of staff, disclosed her intentions regarding President-elect Donald J. Trump’s first day in office. According to two individuals present at the closed-door event, Wiles indicated that Trump would swiftly seek to reinstate several executive orders that had been revoked by President Biden.
Wiles, a seasoned political strategist from Florida who played a pivotal role in Trump’s successful campaign, made these remarks during a private, biannual meeting of the Rockbridge Network—a group of conservative donors co-founded by Vice President-elect JD Vance, which boasts strong ties to the tech industry. This marks one of her first public comments since her recent selection as chief of staff.
It is customary for newly inaugurated presidents to issue a flurry of executive orders as they take office. However, Wiles did not elaborate on which specific orders from Trump’s first term would be reinstated. Among the notable actions that Biden reversed were Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the travel ban affecting several predominantly Muslim nations, and the exit from the Paris climate agreement.
Wiles stressed the importance of being prepared from Day 1, emphasizing that the window for Trump to enact significant changes within the government is more realistically two years rather than the full four-year term. This perspective acknowledges the challenges most presidents encounter during the midterm election cycle, which often proves difficult for their party.
“Transitions are both long and short at the same time,” Wiles noted, as recounted by one attendee.
Wiles was the highlight of the three-day Rockbridge conference, addressing a few hundred donors on a panel alongside other key figures from the Trump campaign, including:
- Chris LaCivita, the campaign’s co-manager
- Meredith O’Rourke, the fund-raising director
- Tony Fabrizio, the campaign’s leading pollster
Other prominent speakers at the event were anticipated to include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, as outlined in the agenda reviewed by The New York Times.
