A guide to key figures in Donald Trump's orbit
World
For the second time, Trump has won the White House with a woman steering his campaign
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.
Susie Wiles
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.
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.
Boris Epshteyn
Epshteyn is a lawyer and longtime aide to Trump who was a key surrogate in his 2016 campaign. Epshteyn briefly served as an adviser in Trump’s White House and as an on-screen political analyst for Sinclair Broadcast Group.
After Trump refused to accept his loss in 2020, Epshteyn worked with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on efforts to overturn the result. He was accused of carrying out a scheme with Giuliani to submit fake electors for Trump in Arizona and obstruct the certification of the results by Congress. He has pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges in Arizona related to the case.
Epshteyn has also appeared at Trump’s side during his court appearances.
Elon Musk
One of the most powerful figures in Trump’s orbit these days is Musk, the billionaire head of car maker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX.
Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and transformed it into X, boosting conservative and far-right voices on the platform. Having once endorsed President Barack Obama, Musk has moved to the right and emerged as a leading voice among American conservatives. He endorsed Trump after the Republican survived an assassination attempt in July and poured more than $119 million into backing Trump’s campaign, including a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania.
Trump praises Musk frequently and tells crowds about his awe watching SpaceX rocket landings. Trump has said he will give Musk, a major government contractor, a role in his administration running an efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government.
