Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff on Monday following Republican losses in the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump announced Friday that his longtime adviser Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social and spoke to reporters at the White House that afternoon, saying Miller will formally take over the position on Monday.
Miller, 41, has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser during Trump’s second term, Al Jazeera reported. Wiles, who co-managed Trump’s 2024 campaign, was the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff and was Trump’s longest-tenured chief of staff across his two administrations. Following the staff change, Wiles will move to Trump’s political operation, according to Fox News.
The appointment followed midterm election results earlier in the week that will give Democrats control of both the House and Senate starting in January. Trump told reporters that while he believed Wiles did a great job, he wanted to make a change and needed to make moves, PBS NewsHour reported.
Why the appointment matters
The chief of staff directs White House hiring and staff, controls access to the president, manages the presidential schedule, and negotiates with outside political figures and Congress. Miller’s elevation places one of Trump’s most hardline aides in charge of executive branch operations as the administration faces incoming congressional majorities.
Miller has spent years shaping the administration’s aggressive immigration agenda. In May 2025, Miller told Fox News that the administration had established a target of at least 3,000 arrests daily for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His portfolio has also extended to foreign policy and national security, including operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Miller celebrated the promotion on social media Friday, writing on X that he was honored by the selection and that the mission was to fight to support the president and defend the republic, BBC News reported.
Plans to govern through executive authority
With Democrats set to run both chambers of Congress, the administration has looked at methods to carry out its agenda without passing new legislation. Miller, White House lawyers, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have worked since April to identify executive actions Trump can take on immigration, federal spending, tariffs, and housing costs.
Trump told CBS on Tuesday that he plans to rely on the Supreme Court’s June decision in Trump v. Slaughter, which confirmed his constitutional authority to fire Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter despite statutory restrictions. Trump said that legal ruling gave the presidency powers it previously lacked, describing it as a foundation for governing through executive actions.
Trump has also repeatedly referred to himself as “Mr. Veto,” saying he intends to reject measures approved by the Democratic Congress until lawmakers negotiate on his terms. A White House official told Fox News Digital that if Democrats attempt to use investigations and subpoenas against the administration, they should remember the White House still controls the federal government and its authorities.
Clashing reactions from lawmakers
The choice drew sharp rebukes from Democratic leaders who are preparing oversight hearings against the administration. Representative Robert Garcia, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said his committee will continue investigating Miller. Incoming Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries called Miller a reckless extremist who carries blame for administration actions, posting on X that his presence in government should be eradicated.
Divisions have also surfaced among Republicans following the midterm results, as seen when Johnson stepped aside as House speaker. Retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called Miller incompetent and described him as the architect of poor White House initiatives. An unnamed House Republican told Fox News Digital that lawmakers have long worried about the administration relying on executive actions rather than working with the legislative branch.
Other Republicans defended the selection. Utah Senator Mike Lee praised Miller on X, calling him a conservative fighter who has stood up for law and order and supported Trump for a decade. A Trump administration official described Miller as an excellent selection who commands trust among voters who want mass migration reversed.
Miller’s career and what happens next
Miller began his political activism at Santa Monica High School in Southern California before attending Duke University, where he ran the Duke Conservative Union and spoke on television in defense of lacrosse players accused of rape. After college, he served as an aide to Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.
Miller joined Trump’s initial presidential campaign in January 2016 as a speechwriter and rally speaker. During Trump’s first administration, he helped craft the 2017 travel ban on several Muslim-majority nations and the 2018 border zero-tolerance policy that led to family separations. He also pressed to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
When Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Miller took on the role of deputy chief of staff for policy. He worked on an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship that was struck down by the Supreme Court, and faced controversy in January after calling Alex Pretti a terrorist and an assassin after Pretti was fatally shot by immigration officers in Minneapolis, comments Miller later retracted. Miller will formally assume his duties as White House chief of staff on Monday.
