Washington DC - President-elect Donald Trump named his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as White House chief of staff on Thursday, his first major appointment since winning this week's election.

"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected," Trump said in a statement.

"Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history."

Wiles enjoys wide support inside the Trump team and was notably called on stage by the incoming president during his victory speech on Wednesday morning.

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"We call her the 'ice baby'... Susie likes to stay in the background," Trump said of the steely 67-year-old Florida native.

According to Trump's team, other key jobs in the administration are set to be filled in the "days and weeks ahead."

"There are some people that will be returning [from Trump's first term]," senior Trump aide Jason Miller told Fox Business on Wednesday. "And they'll be some new people joining the mix."

Linda McMahon, a former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and Howard Lutnick, the founder of the brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, are leading the transition process.

Trump surrogate and Tesla boss Elon Musk is expected to lead an all-new "Department of Government Efficiency," targeting $2 trillion in cuts from the federal government's $7 trillion budget – although no one has explained how such drastic cuts would be made.