Latest news with #chiefOfStaff
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How a Provo boy became one of the youngest chiefs of staff in U.S. Senate history
The youngest chief of staff in the U.S. Senate says he rocketed from Utah to Washington, D.C., relying on the principle, 'Say yes to everything.' But when the office of Sen. Mike Lee first offered the then-22-year-old Mark Wait a fast-track to his dream Capitol career, he said 'no.' Wait had already committed to finish the year as an intern for the chief of staff to the president of Utah Valley University, and he wouldn't waver, not even at the request of a sitting senator. The senator's office, which had welcomed Wait as an intern the summer before, followed up with Wait's boss, who proceeded to ask the young aspiring politico, 'Are you nuts?' Wait took the message — and started packing his bags. Soon after he arrived in Washington, Lee led out in promoting his freshest staffer from office assistant to scheduler, then to deputy chief. And, in 2023, Lee asked Wait to be his chief of staff at age 26. 'He had political skills and instincts that reflect a maturity one doesn't expect out of somebody still in his 20s,' Lee said. 'He could see the forest for the trees.' Despite his youth, Wait inherited a complex task: coordinating the senator's public persona, policy shop and Capitol Hill connections, in a position previously held by some of the biggest names in Beehive State politics. In biweekly meetings with Senate chiefs of staff, Wait often hears that he is the youngest to ever get the job. But he doesn't 'really get caught up in that,' he says. If anything, his perceived inexperience has pushed him to outwork everyone in the room. 'It's actually a blessing in disguise,' Wait said. 'It's more motivation to learn more about an issue than anybody else.' Wait's appointment to run the behind-the-scenes for one of the Senate's most outspoken conservative crusaders could have hardly come at a more notable moment for Utah's senior senator. As chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Lee stands at the crossroads between one of Utah's most pressing needs as a rapidly growing state and the Trump administration's priority to supercharge U.S. energy production. Lee's work on these issues drew a wave of attention when he stole headlines across the country last month for his proposal to sell a small percentage of public lands for development, which he ultimately pulled after he received pushback. This comes at a time when Lee's lawyerly temperament has been accompanied by an increasingly prolific, and occasionally insensitive, 'BasedMikeLee' social media account on X where he posts dozens of times a day for his more than 600,000 followers. In recent weeks, Lee's reputation as a committed fiscal hawk and stickler for proper budget process was tested when faced with President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which some believe flouted both concerns. But Wait has taken the challenge of helping the senator navigate these competing pressures in stride. Lee's goal has remained the same, according to Wait: to help Utahns by tackling burdensome regulations and bureaucratic overreach. 'There's not another member of the Senate or the House, for that matter, or, politically across the spectrum, whether that's federally or in state government, who I'd rather work for than Senator Lee,' Wait said. Those who have worked the closest with both the senator and his Gen Z chief say the sentiment is mutual; after working with Wait, it became clear to Lee, they say, that there wasn't another congressional staffer he trusted as much to run his operations. Growing up in Bountiful and Provo, politics was far from Wait's mind. Wait, the youngest child of a banker and a stay-at-home mother of four, wanted to be a sports broadcaster. The dream was short-lived. Following a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Houston, Texas, Wait shifted his attention to detail from memorizing sports stats to understanding the world of politics. After his interest was piqued by attending Lee campaign events in the run-up to the 2016 election, Wait got involved with UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies and secured an internship with Justin Jones, the university president's chief of staff. Even as a student, Wait 'exhibited all the qualities of a good chief of staff' by holding employees accountable while paying deference to his principal, according to Jones, who now directs the Herbert Institute for Public Policy at UVU. But more than being a good manager, Wait managed to demonstrate integrity in his interactions, Jones said. Jones will never forget the day Lee's office called to say Wait had turned them down because he had accepted Jones' internship first. 'That speaks to Mark Wait's character,' Jones said. 'He commits to something, and it doesn't matter, he's going to find a way.' It wasn't long after Wait left UVU for Washington that Lee saw fit to make him his scheduler, which Lee considers one of the most difficult jobs in Congress because it involves constant judgement about how a senator should use his or her time. The new role placed Wait at a desk directly outside Lee's office, and required him to get there an hour before the senator, to leave long after he was gone and to spend many long nights figuring out how to fit conflicting hearings, votes and meetings into a daily agenda. Wait's self-described talent as 'an organizational freak' contributed to Lee's decision to elevate him to deputy chief of staff, in addition to his role as scheduler, to prepare him to take the spot of Lee's then-chief, Allyson Bell, who was planning to retire. While her initial reaction was 'Well, he's really young,' Bell said Wait's forward-looking mentality and strategic approach to being a 'traffic cop' for Lee's schedule proved his 'aptitude' for leadership. 'Once you get to know Mark, you don't look at his age,' Bell said. When the job offer came for Wait to serve as Lee's chief of staff, he was so 'caught off guard' he thought he 'was being pranked' and looked to both sides to make sure the senator wasn't talking to somebody else. Now that the shock has faded, Wait says he finds a sports-like thrill in trying to balance all the demands on Lee while endeavoring to enact the senator's agenda and supervise a team of 30-40 employees. 'It's kind of like playing Tetris,' Wait said. Before taking on the responsibility of a U.S. Senate chief of staff, Wait reached out to Jones to talk about how he could live up to the 'legacy' of his predecessors, Jones said. Wait made a point of reaching out to each of Lee's former chiefs of staff for advice, according to Matt Holton, who worked as Bell's deputy when Wait was scheduler. Before Bell, the position was held by Boyd Matheson, the well-known former radio host of KSL's 'Inside Sources'; and, before him, it was held by Spencer Stokes, president of the GOP consulting firm Stokes Strategies. 'It is a never-ending, grueling job,' Holton said. 'Nobody becomes chief of staff in the United States Senate without being really dang good and really trusted by the member; no one becomes a chief of staff at a younger age without being even that much better.' While, according to Bell, Wait likely has little input in Lee's daily social media exploits, the senator said that before he accepts an invitation for a meeting or introduces a piece of legislation, he always looks to Wait 'and very often he sees something in there that I haven't seen.' Wait, in turn, has had the opportunity to look to Lee for mentorship in the political sphere and beyond. On Feb. 4, 2021, Wait consulted Lee about his plans to propose to his then-girlfriend at the Capitol, which was still on COVID-19 lockdown. Realizing that a busy legislative schedule would make this impossible for the next few weeks, Lee arranged for Wait to bring her in that day, just before a marathon voting session was about to begin. Wait brought the flowers and popped the question while Lee was there to take the photos. Wait and his wife are now the parents of a nearly 1-year-old baby. Watching Wait grow into his role has left Lee feeling certain that the same characteristics that brought him to this point will carry him far beyond his Senate office. 'I think the sky's the limit for Mark Wait,' Lee said.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
President Trump lavishes compliments on top aide Susie Wiles
President Donald Trump lavished praise on his chief of staff Susie Wiles (Pictured right), saying the 'big shots' were 'scared' of the woman referred to as the 'ice maiden.' 'She's the first woman chief of staff in the history of our country,' Trump said of Wiles at an event on the South Lawn of the White House to honor all the political appointees in his administration. 'I watch those men and she watches over them, and if they get a little bit out of line, they may be big, big shots, defense, they may be in Congress. They may be the biggest but they're scared of her. They don't want her coming after them,' he said as the crowd roared its approval. He noted of Wiles that she's 'the most powerful woman in the world.' And then he joked of her power: 'One phone call and a country is wiped out.' The crowd of 3,000 staffers laughed and cheered. Wiles has become a stoic but constant figure in the second Trump administration, laying down the law early on to the likes of former 'First Buddy' Elon Musk. A veteran of GOP politics, Wiles saw her first victory on Trump's first day in office when he confirmed Musk would not have a desk in the West Wing. Musk was reportedly pushing for his own room just yards from the Oval Office but his DOGE team will instead be based in the Eisenhower building, which is across the road from the White House. The chief administrator of DOGE must also report to Wiles, a sign of her control over the White House. Experts have long believed Wiles, who ran Trump's 2016 and 2020 Florida campaigns successfully, has what it takes to handle the president. 'She has an abundance of charm and she'll need every bit of it to survive this job,' said Chris Whipple, author of a book on the 2024 Trump campaign, noting that there were four chiefs of staff in Trump's first term. Just two weeks before Trump took office, Wiles made it clear in an interview she was going to run a tight ship. 'I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star,' Wiles told Axios. 'My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission.' Trump's first term in office was marked by infighting, backstabbing and leaks. Aides set up competing fiefdoms inside the West Wing and battled among each other to have the most influence on the president, a dynamic that played out in real time like a reality TV show. Nicknamed the 'Ice Maiden' by Trump himself, Wiles takes a no-nonsense approach to her job. She is the first woman to occupy the chief of staff's office. Wiles is a mother and grandmother who is a lifelong Republican who was all-in on the MAGA agenda when it hit the scene in the mid 2010s. She is the daughter of legendary former NFL player and commentator Pat Summerall. The White House chief of staff did press secretary work for years and worked as a campaign scheduler on President Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign. She was also chief of staff for the Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1996-1999. She said early on that the staff are prepared to work long, hard hours in order to hit the ground running. 'The West Wing staff is a mix of new and veterans — many are young, all are prepared to work punishing hours,' she said. 'To my core, I believe in teamwork. Anyone who cannot be counted on to be collaborative, and focused on our shared goals, isn't working in the West Wing.' Wiles is credited with running an efficient, well-organized campaign in 2024. During the Cabinet nomination process, she imposed a social media ban on his Cabinet nominees, ordering them not to post without approval. 'While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,' Wiles wrote in a memo reported by the New York Post. 'Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel.' One of the top responsibilities of the chief of staff is managing the president's time and who has access to him. Trump chafed at such restrictions in his first term in office, when he went through four chiefs of staff in four years. Aides often slipped into the Oval Office to speak to him, knowing he was most likely to listen to the last person in the room. Additionally, Trump also spoke frequently to outside advisers, family members and other people who got access to him - often upending processes and decision making with his last minute changes. Wiles is highly respected in politics and is credited with running a disciplined, professional campaign operation that gave Trump an enormous victory in November. However, she has been willing to give Trump some hard truths after the 2020 election loss and advised him on how to turn it around in the next cycle. 'Coming to him after the 2020 election in [20]21 and telling him what he thought was the circumstance, wasn't, which is how I got into all this,' she revealed in a March interview. 'He said, 'well, can you fix it?'' Wiles recalled. But he's such a resilient person and he's seen so much, it's very hard to surprise him.' She appears to be referring to how she helped Trump turn around his loss in 2020 into a win in 2024. The White House chief of staff has said that ultimately, her job is to 'keep the trains on the tracks' of Trump 2.0.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump reveals how his 'Ice Maiden' chief of staff Susie Wiles has 'big shots' running 'scared'
President Donald Trump lavished praise on his chief of staff Susie Wiles, saying the 'big shots' were 'scared' of the woman referred to as the 'ice maiden.' 'She's the first woman chief of staff in the history of our country,' Trump said of Wiles at an event on the South Lawn of the White House to honor all the political appointees in his administration. 'I watch those men and she watches over them, and if they get a little bit out of line, they may be big, big shots, defense, they may be in Congress. They may be the biggest but they're scared of her. They don't want her coming after them,' he said as the crowd roared its approval. He noted of Wiles that she's 'the most powerful woman in the world.' And then he joked of her power: 'One phone call and a country is wiped out.' The crowd of 3,000 staffers laughed and cheered. Wiles has become a stoic but constant figure in the second Trump administration, laying down the law early on to the likes of former 'First Buddy' Elon Musk. A veteran of GOP politics, Wiles saw her first victory on Trump's first day in office when he confirmed Musk would not have a desk in the West Wing. Musk was reportedly pushing for his own room just yards from the Oval Office but his DOGE team will instead be based in the Eisenhower building, which is across the road from the White House. The chief administrator of DOGE must also report to Wiles, a sign of her control over the White House. Experts have long believed Wiles, who ran Trump's 2016 and 2020 Florida campaigns successfully, has what it takes to handle the president. 'She has an abundance of charm and she'll need every bit of it to survive this job,' said Chris Whipple, author of a book on the 2024 Trump campaign, noting that there were four chiefs of staff in Trump's first term. Just two weeks before Trump took office, Wiles made it clear in an interview she was going to run a tight ship. 'I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star,' Wiles told Axios. 'My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission.' Trump's first term in office was marked by infighting, backstabbing and leaks. Aides set up competing fiefdoms inside the West Wing and battled among each other to have the most influence on the president, a dynamic that played out in real time like a reality TV show. Nicknamed the 'Ice Maiden' by Trump himself, Wiles takes a no-nonsense approach to her job. She is the first woman to occupy the chief of staff's office. Wiles is a mother and grandmother who is a lifelong Republican who was all-in on the MAGA agenda when it hit the scene in the mid 2010s. She is the daughter of legendary former NFL player and commentator Pat Summerall. The White House chief of staff did press secretary work for years and worked as a campaign scheduler on President Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign. She was also chief of staff for the Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1996-1999. She said early on that the staff are prepared to work long, hard hours in order to hit the ground running. 'The West Wing staff is a mix of new and veterans — many are young, all are prepared to work punishing hours,' she said. 'To my core, I believe in teamwork. Anyone who cannot be counted on to be collaborative, and focused on our shared goals, isn't working in the West Wing.' Wiles is credited with running an efficient, well-organized campaign in 2024. During the Cabinet nomination process, she imposed a social media ban on his Cabinet nominees, ordering them not to post without approval. 'While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,' Wiles wrote in a memo reported by the New York Post. 'Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel.' One of the top responsibilities of the chief of staff is managing the president's time and who has access to him. Trump chafed at such restrictions in his first term in office, when he went through four chiefs of staff in four years. Aides often slipped into the Oval Office to speak to him, knowing he was most likely to listen to the last person in the room. Additionally, Trump also spoke frequently to outside advisers, family members and other people who got access to him - often upending processes and decision making with his last minute changes. Wiles is highly respected in politics and is credited with running a disciplined, professional campaign operation that gave Trump an enormous victory in November. Long before Wednesday night's message, Trump has publicly talked of his admiration and respect for her. 'Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,' he said in a statement when he announced her as his chief of staff. 'Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again.' However, she has been willing to give Trump some hard truths after the 2020 election loss and advised him on how to turn it around in the next cycle. 'Coming to him after the 2020 election in [20]21 and telling him what he thought was the circumstance, wasn't, which is how I got into all this,' she revealed in a March interview. 'He said, 'well, can you fix it?'' Wiles recalled. 'But he's such a resilient person and he's seen so much, it's very hard to surprise him.' She appears to be referring to how she helped Trump turn around his loss in 2020 into a win in 2024. The White House chief of staff has said that ultimately, her job is to 'keep the trains on the tracks' of Trump 2.0
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carney names former UN ambassador Blanchard as chief of staff
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his permanent chief of staff on Sunday, appointing Marc-André Blanchard, Canada's former ambassador to the United Nations, to one of the most powerful posts in Canadian politics. Meanwhile, two sources not authorized to speak publicly about the appointments before they are formally announced say that former attorney general David Lametti has been hired as Carney's principal secretary — the top political aide position in the PMO. Blanchard served as Canada's permanent representative at the UN between 2016 and 2020. He most recently served as the executive vice-president for CDPQ Global, a Quebec-based investment firm. "Marc-André has a long and distinguished career as one of Canada's most accomplished builders, legal experts, executives, public servants, and diplomats," Carney said in a statement announcing the appointment. Carney made the announcement on social media and said Blanchard will start in July once former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino's time as interim chief of staff comes to an end. The prime minister said Mendicino has his "continued appreciation" for his service. Carney said last month that Mendicino originally agreed to stay on through the new government's transition period, but that term extended into the summer. Lametti was first elected in 2015, when the Liberals last formed a majority government, and was appointed justice minister and attorney general in 2019. While in that role, Lametti introduced legislation to expand the eligibility for medical assistance in dying and was a key figure during the government's response to the convoy protests and implementation of the Emergencies Act. Lametti was shuffled out of cabinet in July 2023 and resigned as an MP in January 2024. More recently, Lametti became a political ally of Carney — even attending the prime minister's first swearing in back in March alongside Mendicino. This report was first published by The Canadian Pres on June 1, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
Bloomberg
01-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Carney Picks Canadian Pension Executive as Next Chief of Staff
Prime Minister Mark Carney is hiring an executive from one of Canada's top pension fund managers to be his chief of staff. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec said in a release Sunday that Marc-André Blanchard, executive vice-president and head of CDPQ Global and and global head of sustainability, was leaving to become Carney's chief of staff.
