US President-elect Donald Trumpis gradually building his next administration, with several key appointments announced and more to come in the lead-up to his January 20 inauguration.

With the transformation of the Republican Party in his image, it's expected Trump loyalists will occupy most administrative positions in his second term.

There's also a distinctive "home ground" flavor to his team, with most of key appointments hailing from Trump's residency state of Florida and home state of New York.

Trump's first Cabinet appointment is 67-year-old Republican strategist Susie Wiles. The Floridian is highly regarded among the party and was co-chair of his third run for office. She will become Trump's chief of staff and is the first woman to hold the post.

The chief of staff oversees the White House operations and manages the president's policy agenda — in effect, the key adviser across all policy issues.

Wiles has worked in the background to push her candidates forward throughout her career. Like many "back roomers," she has shunned the limelight, earning her the nickname "ice baby" from the US president-elect, presumably in reference to this reputation and her tendency to eschew public appearances.

Her reputation is formidable. She's been widely credited for holding the famously off-leash Trump to his most disciplined campaign. With little detail on how she might run the White House, it would be fair to presume she'll apply similar discipline as chief of staff.

Wiles has long been in Florida-based Trump's orbit, having also run his Florida campaign in 2016 and 2020, and Rick Scott's successful 2010 Florida gubernatorial campaign. Scott is now favored to become Senate majority leader after his reelection in Florida's senatorial race.

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Florida Senator Marco Rubio was a Trump rival during in the 2016 primaries, but eventually backed his presidency and supported most of the positions in his first administration.

As secretary of state, Rubio would be responsible for America's foreign office........

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