A guide to key figures in Donald Trump's orbit

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Epshteyn is a lawyer who has been coordinating with Trump’s various legal teams and a 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.

Miller was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term and has been a central figure in many of the former president’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program in 2018. Miller helped craft many of Trump's hardline speeches and plans on immigration.

Since Trump left office, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers fashioned as a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as freedom of speech and religion and national security.

He is expected to take a leading role in Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and promised the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

Grenell is Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence who has remained a key foreign policy adviser and political aide. He’s expected to be at the top of Trump's list to serve as secretary of state.

Throughout the campaign, Grenell played a role in events featuring Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, and the Log Cabin Republicans. He was a key broker in Trump’s outreach to Arab Americans in Michigan and joined Trump in September when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Grenell developed a reputation as a pro-Trump antagonist in Berlin. Trump has joked about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's happiness when he moved Grenell from his ambassador's post to place him in the intelligence position.

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.

Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist and environmentalist, is a Democratic Party scion whose rise in Trump’s orbit was among the surprises of the 2024 presidential campaign.

Kennedy entered the race as a Democratic candidate, left the party to run as an independent before abandoning his bid, and then endorsed Trump with the promise to have an impact on health policy in a future administration.

In recent weeks, he has talked about exercising control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or gaining the power to “reorganize” federal health agencies. He has said Trump upon taking office would push local water systems to remove fluoride from drinking water — one of the great public health achievements of the last century — and allow him to investigate the safety of vaccines, about which he has long promoted debunked theories.

Rollins is another longtime associate who is seen as a potential hire in the incoming administration. She is Trump’s former domestic policy chief who has served as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.

America First Policy flew under the radar compared with the Heritage Foundation, which ran the Project 2025 effort that Democrats frequently attacked to the chagrin of Trump’s campaign, which insisted that Project 2025 and Heritage did not speak for it.

Rollins previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

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Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.

From left, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Tony Fabriozio, Donald Trump Jr., fourth from left, Justin Caporale, Susie Wiles, Kai Madison Trump, Dan Scavino, Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump III and Dana White listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., as Eric Trump, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and Melania Trump listen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the Palm Beach County Convention Center during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

From left, Susie Wiles, Tiffany Trump, Tony Fabrizio, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr., Walt Nauta (hidden two people), Kai Madison Trump, Dan Scavino, Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump III, Dana White, Chris LaCivita and Eric Trump, listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

This combination photo of President-elect Donald Trump's longtime friends, aides and allies shows Boris Epshteyn, from top row left, Richard Grenell, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Howard Lutnick, from center row left, Linda McMahon, Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, Brooke Rollins and from bottom row left Lara Trump, Dana White and Susie Wiles. (AP Photo)

Stephen Miller, a key aide in Donald Trump's first term, and attorney Boris Epshteyn are among the crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies attending an election night watch party for Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick, co-chairs of Donald Trump's transition team, are among the crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies attending an election night watch party for Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is among the crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies attending an election night watch party for Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party flanked by family members including daughter-in-law Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

A crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies join Donald Trump on stage during an election night watch party. Trump has named Susie Wiles as his next chief of staff, the first woman to hold the job. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party. He's joined by a crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky; AP Illustration by Alex Connor)

A guide to key figures in Donald Trump's orbit

A guide to key figures in Donald Trump's orbit

Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, joined by a crew of longtime friends, aides and new allies. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Matt Eberflus insisted he takes responsibility for the Chicago Bears' failures on offense.

He also realizes he's on his third play-caller in 2 1/2 seasons as coach after firing an offensive coordinator for the second time in 10 months. He let Shane Waldron go this week and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, hoping he can solve the problems and get the most out of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

“I take full accountability for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday, a day after the Bears announced the change. “I take full responsibility for that, and it’s got to get better. It’s gotta get better. The details of creativity have to improve and it’s got to improve this week.”

Waldron lasted just nine games after he was hired in January to replace the fired Luke Getsy. Brown takes over an offense that ranks near the bottom of the NFL.

The Bears are averaging fewer yards per game than only two teams. New England is one of them, and the Patriots beat Chicago 19-3 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

“I’m not really looking into quick fixes," Brown said. "I want long-term solutions to kind of get us going in the right direction. The goal again is to have success and have success immediately. I’m not doing anything to be a loser or have a loser’s mentality. My players don’t either.”

Williams was looking forward to seeing how the offense performs with Brown calling the plays.

“I think we’ll do a good job of marrying everything up together, making everything look the same,” Williams said. “And then from there, you’ll get a few easier passes, a few extra layups. I think it’ll help us in the run game. I think it’ll help us in the pass game being able to do that. And then, I think from there it provides a little bit more explosiveness for us as an offense.”

The Bears have gone without a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004. It’s been 23 consecutive possessions without a TD since they scored in the final minute at Washington in Week 8, when they lost on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels.

The offense has two touchdowns in 34 drives in the three games since Chicago’s bye. The Bears won three in a row prior to their off week, and Williams and the offense looked as if they were finding their rhythm, even if they were doing it against struggling teams.

Players expressed frustration about the offense to Eberflus. But he insisted they didn't call for any firings.

“I don’t think anybody really asked for (Waldron) to be gone,” receiver DJ Moore said. “We expressed our frustration, but never to have somebody’s livelihood taken away. I mean, it’s hard, but on to Thomas, and we got his back.”

Brown was hired as Chicago's passing game coordinator after interviewing for the job that went to Waldron. He's now in a familiar spot, taking over play-calling duties during the season and doing it with a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback.

Carolina's offensive coordinator last season, Brown took over play-calling duties from coach Frank Reich, who eventually took them back before he was fired with the Panthers at 1-10 and quarterback Bryce Young struggling.

Brown is now working with Williams, who seemed to be progressing before taking steps back during this skid. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was sacked nine times against New England and acknowledged he's been holding onto the ball too long at times.

“I took a few sacks that I shouldn’t have," Williams said. "I think that getting back to getting the ball out of my hands, being decisive is really important. That needs to start now.”

As for the decision to fire Waldron?

“I don’t get to choose the decisions, nor do I get to choose whether the decision is good, bad or indifferent," he said. "My job is to listen and from there go do my job.”

Notes: The Bears released veteran G Nate Davis even though they are banged up on the line, after signing him to a three-year, $30 million contract prior to last season. Davis reported back tightness on Sunday morning and was sent home prior to the game. He started 13 of the 16 games he played in for Chicago. He dealt with a lingering groin injury during training camp that popped up again after he started the first two games, and then fell on the depth chart.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looks down as he listens to reporters during an NFL football news conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown reacts as he listens to reporters during an NFL football news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown smiles as he listens to reporters during an NFL football news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus speaks during an NFL football news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus listens to reporters during an NFL football news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)