Series: Personnel and Policy Changes Ahead in 2025  – The White House

As we head into the 119th Congress and a new Administration in the White House in 2025, GoWest will be taking a look at the many changes in personnel and the potential policy impacts to credit unions. This series is intended to profile key players in the White House administration and in Congress, and offer additional insight on the regulatory front. Over the course of the next several weeks, you can expect to see several posts to that effect.   

White House Positions 

President-elect Donald Trump has begun to fill out his cabinet and appointees for his second presidency. Each appointee will have an impact on policy decisions and priorities within the administration.  

Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff 

Who is Susie Wiles?  

Susie Wiles was the first staff selection announced publicly by the President-elect. Wiles will be the first woman appointed White House Chief of Staff in American history. Wiles served as the 2024 Trump campaign co-chair and he called her “tough, smart, innovative” and “universally admired and respected.” She was also a key player in his first campaign, being credited with helping him win the state of Florida in 2016.  After leaving to help on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign, Wiles returned to the Trump campaign in 2020 and began her now successful tenure as a key strategist.  Many are attributing Trump’s success in this 2024 campaign directly to Wiles. She is being called a mastermind for executing a successful campaign that many thought was unlikely to succeed.  

What we can expect:  

The challenge for Susie Wiles is that while she has decades of experience, they are solely on the campaign side. Opting to stay in Florida after the 2016 election, Susie has proven to be a valuable political campaign strategist, but little is known about what the landscape of the White House will look like with Wiles as Chief of Staff.   

Her impact on the campaign has reportedly not just been her ability to help Trump win crucial states, but she has been heavily involved in organization and people management.  

She is, however, known to avoid the spotlight as well as public speaking. It is anticipated that her role will be primarily to manage President Trump and maintain a strong hold of organization and stability within the White House.   

 

Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Policy

Who is Stephen Miller?  

During President Trump’s first administration, Miller was named Senior Policy Adviser. He initially was slated to be responsible for all domestic policy but then shifted to focus only on immigration policy. Prior to that, Miller served as the national policy director for President Trump’s transition team in 2016. Early in his career, Miller worked as a press secretary for Congresswoman Michele Bachman (MN) and Congressman John Shadegg (AZ) and as the communications director for Senator Jeff Sessions (AL), as well as a foray into running a successful campaign for republican congressman Dave Brat (VA). After Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Miller went on to become the founder of a conservative legal organization called America First Legal Foundation.  America First Legal Foundation is effectively the conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Foundation has spent much of its efforts in the last 4 years opposing many policies implemented by the Biden administration.  

What we can expect  

We anticipate that during the initial days of President Trump’s Administration that Miller will focus his attention and leadership in the White House on immigration and the border. It has been reported that President Trump’s initial policy focus will be on immigration and deportation, which is what Stephen Miller is expected to be most involved in as Trump has not outlined additional policy areas for Miller as of yet. Although Stephen Miller has been involved in politics at the federal level, including the previously mentioned roles of communications director and press secretary for multiple members of Congress, he does not have a specific policy background, so little is known about what other areas he may advise President Trump on.; however, he is and will continue playing a key role in hiring and appointment determinations.  

Miller is known as one of Trump’s longest serving aides and was integral to Trump, as a close advisor, during his first term. Miller is known as a “hardliner” on immigration, particularly for his role with President Trump’s mass deportation and family separations during Trump’s first term. The position of Deputy Chief of Policy is not a cabinet position; therefore, he will not be required to go through the Senate confirmation process. Once the administration gets settled and the President-elect begins to lay out his policy priorities and agenda for the first 100 days, we will know more about the impact Miller may make on other policy areas including economic policy.   

 

Stay tuned to the blog for more profiles. 

 

Posted in Advocacy on the Move.