Women are set to play a key role in President-elect Trump’s administration, as he nominates and appoints a number of them to high-level posts.

Trump has so far named eight women to Cabinet-level positions — double the four initially named for his first term. His appointment of Susie Wiles to be his chief of staff makes her the first woman to hold that position in U.S. history. And he has chosen other women for high-level posts, such as press secretary and surgeon general.

The president-elect’s allies say the appointments are emblematic of Trump’s push to elevate women amid criticism about his past comments and alleged treatment of women in the past. And they come on the heels of a historic election where female voters were a key bloc behind his victory.

“You're not seeing an administration that’s sort of an old boys club,” said one former Trump administration official.

The president-elect's picks have yet to be confirmed, but his appointment of more women to his administration’s inner circle appears as part of a “quest” to build a new coalition, said Micki McElya, a history professor at the University of Connecticut.

“He's certainly promoting more women to top jobs than he did the first time,” McElya said.

Trump has so far nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, while Linda McMahon, who served in Trump’s Small Business Administrator in his first administration, has been nominated to serve as his Education secretary. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is Trump’s nominee for Homeland Security Secretary, and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon) is his nominee to be Labor Secretary.

Attorney and policy adviser Brooke Rollins is his Agriculture secretary nominee. Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) has been picked to lead Trump’s Small Business Administration. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi became his nominee for attorney general after his first choice, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.),........

© The Hill