President Donald Trump has named Stephen Miller, the architect of his hardline immigration policy, as his new White House chief of staff, in the most significant reshuffle of his administration since Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Trump announced the change on Friday, November 6, saying Miller would take over the role on Monday, November 9. Miller, 41, replaces Susie Wiles, 69, who submitted her resignation on Thursday night and will move to the Trump Political Operation. Wiles was the first woman to hold the chief of staff's job and had run Trump's 2024 presidential campaign before becoming the gatekeeper of his second administration.
Announcing the decision on Truth Social, Trump described Miller as "one of my most trusted advisors" and told reporters that "Stephen's been with me from the beginning." He praised Wiles for her service, saying she had "done an outstanding job" but that "we've got to make moves sometimes." The White House confirmed Miller would become the 33rd chief of staff, placing him in charge of coordinating the president's staff, policy priorities and dealings with Congress during the remaining two years of Trump's second term.
Miller is one of the longest-serving figures in Trump's orbit. He joined Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016 and is one of only a few aides to have served throughout both of his terms in the White House. As deputy chief of staff for policy in the second administration, he has been the driving force behind the president's aggressive immigration crackdown and has overseen the executive orders through which much of the administration's agenda has been carried out.
The appointment comes days after voters delivered a historic rebuke to Republicans in the midterm elections on November 3, handing Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is the first major personnel change since that defeat, and it follows the resignation of Harmeet Dhillon as the administration's civil rights chief, the first senior departure since the election.
According to Reuters, citing administration officials and other Republicans, the decision to elevate Miller signals that Trump plans to ramp up confrontation in his final two years in office rather than soften his approach to a Democratic-controlled Congress. With Miller at the helm, the administration is expected to continue its aggressive immigration crackdown, amplify cultural conflicts and give no ground to the Democrats, who plan to investigate the administration when the new Congress convenes.
Miller marks a sharp contrast with Wiles. She was a former lobbyist who lacked significant Washington experience but was seen as a deft manager of competing interests inside the White House. Miller, by contrast, is regarded by allies and critics alike as a combative ideologue with a deep knowledge of the levers of power and an unswerving loyalty to the president. Administration officials told Reuters that his appointment was met with praise from senior cabinet officials and political supporters, who described him as the fighter they would need in Trump's final stretch.
The promotion also unsettles some outside the administration. Corporate lobbyists have told Reuters they worry Miller will be less responsive to their concerns than Wiles, who cultivated relationships with top business executives. Immigration remains a sensitive issue for the White House: only 37 per cent of voters approve of Trump's handling of immigration, according to an October Reuters/Ipsos poll, down from 50 per cent when he took office.
The reshuffle extends beyond the chief of staff's office. On the same day he announced Miller's promotion, Trump publicly offered the vacant White House press secretary job to UFC chief Dana White, asking him to bring six fighters as assistants. White has said he will meet the president on Monday to discuss the offer.
What happens next will become clear quickly. Miller takes charge on Monday, just as the administration prepares to face a Democratic-led House and Senate armed with subpoena power and a long list of planned investigations. How he runs the White House — and whether the combative approach his appointment promises helps or hurts a president already weakened by the midterm result — will be one of the defining questions of Trump's final two years.
The facts in this report were checked against reporting by Reuters, the Associated Press, the BBC and ARY News.
