- Trump appointed Stephen Miller as new White House chief.
- Miller, immigration architect, signals uncompromising policy approach.
- Appointment follows midterm losses, faces expected congressional scrutiny.
US President Donald Trump has named longtime aide Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles after the Republican Party suffered major setbacks in the midterm elections. The appointment puts one of the key architects of Trump’s domestic agenda in one of the most influential positions in Washington as the president prepares to face a Democratic-controlled Congress and a series of investigations into his administration.
Trump announced the change on Friday, saying it would take effect on Monday. Miller, 41, has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and is among the president’s most trusted and longest-serving advisers.
The move signals that Trump is not planning a major shift in his policy approach despite the electoral setback. A White House official said the appointment showed that the president was rewarding his most loyal aides rather than reconsidering his agenda.
“He’s not changing course,” the official said.
Trump had said earlier this week that he was willing to work with Democrats on Capitol Hill. However, Miller’s elevation could point to a more confrontational approach as the administration faces congressional scrutiny, particularly over immigration and other domestic policies.
Stephen Miller: Key Architect Of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Miller joined Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign as a speechwriter and has remained part of his inner circle through both terms. He is best known for shaping the administration’s hard-line immigration policies and has wielded significant influence over the president’s domestic agenda.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in 2025, Miller has served as deputy chief of staff under Wiles, while also overseeing a wide range of policy matters. He was instrumental in driving the administration’s immigration crackdown, setting a target of 3,000 arrests a day.
The enforcement drive brought masked immigration officers into communities across the country, with arrests increasingly involving people who had no criminal records and had lived in the US for decades.
The policies have faced significant public opposition. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed early this week found that 36 per cent of respondents approved of the crackdown, while 54 per cent disapproved.
The AP Voter Poll conducted by the Associated Press during the midterm campaign also found that around six in 10 voters believed the administration’s immigration enforcement actions had gone too far. The same proportion somewhat or strongly disapproved of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement had handled its responsibilities.
Miller also played a major role in the administration’s efforts to reshape the federal bureaucracy, which led to tens of thousands of civil servants being dismissed in 2025. He was also involved in the administration’s battles with universities, diversity programmes and other institutions.
During the midterm campaign, Miller frequently targeted Democrats on social media, calling them “extremists, freaks and America-hating lunatics”. He also promoted unfounded theories about election fraud in California and Alaska, AP reported.
Miller’s Promotion Could Signal More Confrontational Approach
The appointment comes as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress and pursue investigations into the Trump administration. Miller himself is expected to be a key focus of scrutiny over his immigration policies.
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said the party planned to investigate Miller’s immigration policies. “Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” he said.
Miller has also been a vocal supporter of Trump’s foreign policy, including military strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific. He has backed US and Israeli strikes in Iran and defended a naval blockade and sanctions as ways to weaken Tehran, the report said.
His appointment could further strengthen the influence of advisers who favour an uncompromising approach towards the president’s domestic and foreign policy priorities.
Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s first term, said Miller was someone who was closely aligned with the president and willing to take on Congress.
In Miller, Trump is “getting someone who is wed to him”, Short said, adding that the appointment did not suggest a strong expectation of bipartisan legislation.
Miller, meanwhile, described his appointment as a call to intensify support for the president.
“The mission now is more clear than ever,” he said on X. “Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.”
Hakeem Jeffries, who is set to become the new Democratic speaker of the House, criticised the appointment, calling Miller a “reckless extremist” in a post on X.
Susie Wiles Steps Down After Serving As Trump’s Chief Of Staff
Wiles submitted her resignation on Thursday night, a person familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Trump praised her work and said she would continue working for his political organisation.
Wiles, 69, was the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff and the longest-serving person in the role during Trump’s presidency. She had joined his political team during the 2016 presidential campaign and was widely credited with bringing discipline to his 2024 election campaign.
Trump praised Wiles on Friday, saying she had done a “very good job, great job”, while adding, “Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
In a social media post following Trump’s announcement, Wiles said: “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime. 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.”
Wiles continued in the role even after announcing her breast cancer diagnosis in March 2026. She underwent months of treatment and later said she was “cancer-free”, indicating that her pathology results showed no evidence of the disease.
Her departure comes as Trump reshuffles his White House team following the Republican Party’s midterm losses. During his first term, Trump went through four chiefs of staff between 2017 and 2021, with aides often struggling to manage the president’s unpredictable approach to the office.
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