Stephen Miller takes charge of the White House on Monday as President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, in the first major staffing shake-up since the Republicans’ historic losses in the midterm elections.
Key Points
- Stephen Miller chief of staff — the 41-year-old starts the role on Monday, 9 November, replacing Susie Wiles.
- Wiles, 69, moves to Trump’s political operation after holding the post since the start of his second term.
- Miller is the architect of the administration’s hardline immigration crackdown and has been with Trump since his 2015 campaign.
- Democrats say they will not work with Miller, and plan investigations into him once they take control of Congress in January.
Trump announced the change on Friday on Truth Social, three days after Democrats swept both chambers of Congress. “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.”
Miller has been deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser throughout Trump’s second term, and he is the central figure behind the administration’s deportation agenda. He has been in Trump’s corner since day one, writing the candidate’s first immigration policy paper as a campaign staffer in 2015. The appointment signals that Trump is not ready to retreat from his agenda despite the midterm result — and that he intends to double down on it.
A frosty reception from Democrats
The reaction from the incoming Democratic majority was swift. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday that his party would not work with Miller, and senior lawmakers said Democrats plan congressional investigations into Miller, Elon Musk and several large companies once they take control in January.
Industries that rely heavily on immigrant labour also criticised the promotion. Leaders of groups representing agriculture and construction said they were dismayed to see the chief architect of the deportation crackdown elevated to the most powerful staff job in the White House, just days after millions of Americans signalled anger about such policies at the ballot box.
The chief of staff is the president’s gatekeeper — managing White House staff, planning the president’s time, and dealing with government departments and lawmakers. How Miller runs that operation, and how he handles a Democratic Congress determined to investigate the administration’s immigration enforcement, will define the next phase of Trump’s second term. His wife, Katie Miller, has announced a hiatus from her podcast to look after their four children as he takes on the role.
For background on the appointment, see our report on Trump naming Stephen Miller White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, and on Trump blaming Democrats’ midterm wins for a $3 trillion market loss. More in our US News section.
Sources: USA Today, “Trump names Stephen Miller new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles“; USA Today, “Jeffries says Democrats will not work with Trump’s new chief of staff“.