Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s most controversial aide and the architect of his sweeping immigration crackdown, will become his new White House chief of staff days after Republicans lost control of the US Congress in US midterm elections.
The president announced the extraordinary appointment on Friday, confirming that Susie Wiles – his current chief of staff, and the first woman to serve in the role – would be stepping down.
In a social media post, Trump called Miller, ۴۱, “one of my most trusted advisors” and praised Wiles for doing “an outstanding job”. Miller will begin on Monday.
Wiles, ۶۹, reportedly handed in her resignation on Thursday night and said in a social media post that serving Trump “has been the honor of a lifetime”. She added: “I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First.”
She said her commitment to “the President and the mission” will not change.
Miller’s appointment is the first sign of a shake-up at the White House following Republicans’ catastrophic defeat in the midterms. His record as a far-right firebrand implies that Trump is preparing for an aggressive fight against congressional Democrats’ oversight and investigations.
Chris Whipple, author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, told CNN: “It’s almost a declaration of war by Trump … He [Miller] only knows one gear and that’s full-throttle, full steam ahead over the cliff.”
David Axelrod, a veteran Democratic strategist, added on X: “For those who hoped the @POTUS might pivot to work with the incoming Congress, the appointment of Miller is a bucket of ICE cold water.”
Miller is one of the most polarising figures in the administration and one of Trump’s closest and longest-serving advisers, having joined his ۲۰۱۶ presidential campaign as a speechwriter. He is a former aide to the former senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who would go on to serve as Trump’s first attorney general.
In Trump’s first term, Miller was the driving force behind policies such as family separation and a travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. More than a hundred Democrats in Congress signed a letter to Trump calling Miller a “documented white nationalist” and demanding his removal.
A biography of Miller, written by journalist Jean Guerrero in ۲۰۲۰, was entitled Hatemonger.
Miller has served as deputy chief of staff since Trump’s return to the presidency in January ۲۰۲۵. He had been hugely influential in hardline immigration policies and demanding an end to birthright citizenship. He is also one Trump’s most ardent, outspoken and pugnacious defenders.
Appearing on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on Monday, just before the midterms, Miller said of the president: “He saved America from a corrupt political class. He saved America from open borders. He saved America from countries that want the American way of life to end, from foreign adversaries, from domestic adversaries.”
Miller added: “President Trump took a bullet for you, he bled for you, he faced life in prison for you. And what he needs from you tomorrow is your vote.”
Wiles is the longest-serving White House chief of staff for Trump, who cycled through four of them during his first four-year term.
Wiles led Trump’s ۲۰۲۴ presidential campaign to victory and was credited with bringing discipline to a chaotic effort and clamping down on leaks from his second administration.
The Florida operative generally shunned the limelight. At Trump’s ۲۰۲۴ election night victory party, she repeatedly shook her head and avoided the microphone as Trump tried to coax her to speak to the crowd.
But Wiles made headlines last year when Vanity Fair magazine published a series of interviews with her and other top Trump administration officials. Her comments stood out for their candour, including her observation that Trump has an “alcoholic’s personality”.
Her departure came months after she indicated she no longer showed evidence of breast cancer after she underwent months of treatment for the disease. She went public with the diagnosis in March.
Critics said Miller’s appointment showed that Trump had learned the wrong lessons from Tuesday’s electoral reckoning.
Becca Balint, a Democratic congresswoman from Vermont, posted on X: “On Tuesday, the American people rose up and overwhelmingly voted in opposition to the disgusting and inhumane policies of this second Trump administration. What does Trump do? He promotes Stephen Miller – the architect of some of this administration’s worst decisions. Sickening.”
Anthony Scaramucci, who had a brief spell as White House communications director during Trump’s first term, tweeted: “Trump saw the midterm results and decided elevating Stephen Miller is the answer. 🤣 He is even more delusional than I thought. Or maybe he actually wants to finish destroying the @GOP? 🤔”
