WASHINGTON— Donald Trump will return to the White House accompanied by a crew of longtime friends and aides as well as newfound, splashy allies.
The Republican president-elect has barely begun naming key figures in his administration, but he has kept a rotation of associates with him on and off the campaign trail in recent weeks who joined him on stage early Wednesday as he declared victory.
Here’s a look at some key figures in Trump’s orbit as he prepares once again to occupy the White House.
For the second time, Trump has won the White House with a woman steering his campaign. Wiles, who joined his 2024 effort early, served in effect as his campaign manager and was named Thursday as his new chief of staff. She’s been credited with being a steadfast and quiet power behind Trump’s third White House campaign, running a largely disciplined and ultimately winning operation.
Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaign in the state in 2016 and 2020. 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 is the daughter of the late NFL player-turned-broadcaster Pat Summerall.
Lara Trump
Both in business and in government, Trump has always kept relatives in key roles. If physical proximity is any sign of power, it’s worth noting the person standing to Trump’s right at his victory party was Lara Trump.
She is married to the former president’s middle son, Eric, and since the spring has been Donald Trump’s handpicked choice to serve as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Lara Trump, a former television producer, was a prominent campaigner for her father-in-law and contemplated her own campaign in 2022, weighing a run for Senate in her home state of North Carolina, before deciding against a bid.
At the RNC, she’s been a TV-ready advocate for the former president and tasked with boosting fundraising, expanding outreach to voters and the party’s “election integrity” initiative. She’s also explored a side venture as a singer, releasing several songs, which sometimes feature political imagery.
Dana White
White is the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Trump’s longtime friend. They go back to 2001, when White hosted a UFC battle at the Republican’s former Trump Taj Mahal casino-hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Trump has appeared at UFC matches over the years with White, especially in his 2024 campaign as he sought to appeal to younger male voters.
White, in turn, has had speaking roles at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Republican conventions and appeared on stage at Trump’s victory party Wednesday, even speaking briefly to the crowd.
Linda McMahon
McMahon, who serves as the other co-chair of the president-elect’s transition team, has been Trump’s longtime friend.
She and her husband, Vince, founded World Wrestling Entertainment, growing the organization into a powerhouse. Trump participated in some WWE events over the years, and McMahon was one of his most generous benefactors in his 2016 campaign.
Trump tapped her to lead the Small Business Administration during his first term in office. She left to work on his reelection campaign and spent the years since he left office as one of the leaders of the America First Policy Institute strategizing for another Trump term.
Howard Lutnick
Lutnick, the CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is the co-chair of Trump’s transition team helping to find the team that will work in the next administration.
Lutnick has donated to both Democrats and Republicans in the past, once appeared on Trump’s NBC reality show, “The Apprentice,” and has become a part of the president-elect’s inner circle. He shared the stage with Trump at events in the closing days of his campaign, including the rally at Madison Square Garden.
He came under criticism in the campaign’s final days for an interview with CNN in which he repeated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s debunked criticisms of vaccines.
