Just days after he was reelected to a second, non-consecutive term as president, President-elect Trump tapped the winning election’s campaign manager, Susan Summerall Wiles, as his Chief of Staff.
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He also didn’t waste any time in beginning the preparations for Inauguration Day. As my colleague Bob Hoge wrote, he also chose former Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler to co-chair his and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Inaugural Committee: (emphasis mine)
Trump, meanwhile, has been wasting no time as he prepares for the transition. On Thursday, he announced that his campaign manager Susan Summerall Wiles will be his chief of staff, and he’s already put his transition team in motion:
Trump’s transition team is being headed by professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon and billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick.
Meanwhile, the Trump-Vance campaign on Saturday announced the formation of the “Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc.,” a 501(c)(4) organization that will plan inaugural events.
The organization will be co-chaired by longtime friends and supporters of President-elect Trump, Steve Witkoff and Senator Kelly Loeffler.
Read more: Wish I Could Be a Fly on the Wall: Trump, Biden Set to Meet at White House
On Wednesday evening, Trump announced that the CEO and former senator will play an even bigger role on his incoming White House team, in the position of Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA):
“I am very pleased to nominate business leader and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, from the Great State of Georgia, to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Small Businesses are the backbone of our Great Economy. Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive. She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.
“Kelly was a tremendous fighter in the U.S. Senate during the first Trump Administration, including helping to pass the first ever bill to protect Women in Sports. Prior to her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Kelly built a 25 year career in financial services and technology. Along with her amazing husband, Jeff, she helped build a Fortune 500 company from 100 employees to over 10,000, as Executive VP. She and Jeff also helped me secure the Big Election Win in Georgia!
“A strong believer in the “American Dream,” Kelly was raised as the fourth generation to work on her family’s farm, and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Business Administration, earned an MBA from DePaul University, and was the first CFA charterholder to serve in the Senate. For the last four years, Kelly has worked tirelessly to help restore Election Integrity, diverse outreach, and voter registration in Georgia through her nonprofit, Greater Georgia. In addition to SBA Administrator, I’ve appointed her Co-Chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
“Congratulations Kelly!”
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Readers might recall that Loeffler served as U.S. senator from the Peach state starting in Jan. 2020, after Governor Brian Kemp appointed her to Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R) seat, which he left due to health reasons.
Loeffler “ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Georgia. She lost in the special general runoff election on January 5, 2021,” to Democrat Rafael Warnock,who served out the Isakson term (until Jan. 2023).
Here’s more of Loeffler’s background:
Loeffler is co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team. She served as chief communications and marketing officer and as head of investor relations for Intercontinental Exchange, a firm that operates commodity and financial exchanges, for 16 years.
As this is a breaking story, RedState will provide updates as warranted.