President Donald Trump has named Stephen Miller, the architect of his hardline immigration agenda, as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles in the biggest staff shake-up of his second term — just days after Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.
Key Points
- Stephen Miller, 41, will become chief of staff on Monday, November 9, 2026, replacing Susie Wiles.
- Wiles, the first woman to hold the job, resigned on Thursday evening; Friday was her last day in the role.
- Trump announced the move on Truth Social, calling Miller “one of my most trusted advisors”.
- The change comes after Democrats swept the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Trump announced the decision on Friday in a post on Truth Social. “I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” he wrote. “Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!”
Miller, who has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser since the start of Trump’s second term in January 2025, will become the 33rd chief of staff. He has been at Trump’s side since 2015 and is the driving force behind the administration’s most controversial policies, including its sweeping immigration crackdown. In a post on X on Friday, Miller said: “It has been the privilege of my lifetime to have served on his team from Day One, and I am honored beyond words to serve as his White House Chief of Staff.”
Wiles departs after midterm defeat
Wiles, 69, worked on all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns before becoming the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. According to CNN, she submitted her resignation on Thursday evening, and she confirmed on X on Friday that it was her last day in the job. She had become a target of Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, and other allies of the president’s Make America Great Again movement after Republicans lost their House and Senate majorities on Tuesday.
The overhaul is the most significant White House personnel move of Trump’s second term, and it signals that the president is not ready to retreat from his agenda despite the arrival of a Democratic-controlled Congress. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the appointment showed that “Trump has learned nothing from his historic defeat.”
What happens next
Miller takes over on Monday, when he will be in charge of coordinating the president’s staff and policy priorities for the remaining two years of Trump’s second term. Over the past year he has widened his portfolio well beyond immigration to cover wide swathes of domestic policy, and he has advocated for an expansive view of executive power. Wiles, meanwhile, moves to Trump’s political operation, although her new responsibilities there have not been specified. The first test of the new arrangement will come in January, when Democrats take their seats in Congress and begin using their majorities to investigate the administration and challenge its agenda — including the Pentagon budget and the war in Iran.
For background on the election that triggered the shake-up, see our report on Democrats sweeping the midterms to win the House and Senate, and on Republicans in disarray as Speaker Mike Johnson steps down after the midterm rout. More in our Politics section.
Sources: USA Today, “Trump names Stephen Miller new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles”; CNN, “Stephen Miller replacing Susie Wiles as chief of staff as Trump grows furious with midterm results, sources say”.