Trump appoints Stephen Miller as White House Chief of Staff following midterm losses

President Donald Trump has named immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as his new White House Chief of Staff, replacing Susie Wiles after the Republican Party lost control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Miller, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, will officially take over the new role on Monday, November 9. President Trump announced the appointment on Truth Social, describing the 41-year-old Miller as one of his most trusted advisers and a capable manager. The move follows what Euronews and Deutsche Welle described as a major defeat for Republicans, who lost both the House and Senate to Democrats.

Susie Wiles, the first woman to hold the position of chief of staff, will transition to work on the president's political operation. Trump praised her tenure as outstanding, and Wiles posted on X that her service was "the honor of a lifetime." According to Euronews, the personnel change comes after weeks of speculation about shifts in the administration, despite previous denials from officials.

Miller is widely recognized as the architect of the administration's restrictive immigration policies, including plans for mass deportations. Deutsche Welle reported that Miller has advocated for federal agents to make 3,000 arrests daily and has supported targeting migrants who have lived in the United States for decades. His promotion signals that the administration intends to maintain its hardline stance on enforcement.

Beyond immigration, Miller has defended several controversial administration actions. These include military operations in Venezuela and a claim made in January 2026 that the U.S. had the right to seize Greenland. His new appointment occurs amid heightened scrutiny following the fatal shootings of two protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Background

Stephen Miller has been a close aide to Donald Trump for over a decade, originally joining his 2016 presidential campaign as a speechwriter. Susie Wiles had been in the post since Trump's inauguration according to Deutsche Welle, though NBC News noted she was the president's longest-serving chief of staff.