Miller takes over as White House chief of staff after Wiles steps down

Stephen Miller is the new White House chief of staff. President Donald Trump made the announcement on Friday, just four days after Republicans lost their majority in both chambers of Congress during the midterm elections.

The change in leadership places a key architect of the administration's immigration policy in the top operational seat. Miller has served as White House deputy chief of staff for policy. He joined Trump's campaign in 2016 as a speechwriter. Before that, he worked as a senior aide to Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

Miller is known for his rigid defense of Trump's agenda. During the recent campaign, he attacked Democrats on social media, calling them extremists and lunatics. He also promoted theories about election fraud in California and Alaska. He has led the administration's anti-fraud task force and oversaw the suspension of Microsoft from a green card program.

His predecessor, Susie Wiles, submitted her resignation on Thursday night. Trump praised her in a post on Truth Social, noting she would continue to work for his political organization. Wiles is the first woman to hold the post. She also served as the longest-tenured chief of staff in Trump's second term.

Wiles is a veteran political operative who has managed Trump's campaigns in 2016, 2020, and 2024. She is 69 years old and the daughter of former NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall. She previously ran campaigns for Senator Rick Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis.

In December 2025, Wiles gave interviews to Vanity Fair that drew national attention for their candor. She described Trump as having an alcoholic's personality, although he does not drink. She said then-Attorney General Pam Bondi whiffed in handling the Jeffrey Epstein files. She also called Vice President JD Vance a conspiracy theorist.

The departure follows Wiles' health battle. She went public with her breast cancer diagnosis in March 2026. By September, she announced she was cancer-free after clear pathology results. Trump called her a tremendous fighter at an October event.

Democrats moved quickly to criticize the new appointment. Representative Robert Garcia of California, who will chair the House Oversight Committee, called Miller the architect of unconstitutional ICE raids. He said the raids have terrorized communities and led to the kidnapping and death of citizens.

Garcia added that Miller should lawyer up. The AP Voter Poll found that about 6 in 10 voters believed the administration's immigration enforcement had gone too far. They disapproved of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement handled its responsibilities.

Miller is now expected to manage a White House that faces a Democratic-controlled Congress. He has expressed confidence in the president's executive power. Trump cycled through four chiefs of staff in his first term, including Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, and Mark Meadows.

Wiles remains active in politics. She is a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm in Florida. Her clients include General Motors and the city of Jacksonville. She also worked for the Venezuelan network Globovisión, a relationship the firm later called a mistake.

The transition marks a shift in tone for the final two years of the presidency. Miller's background in policy and his recent public attacks set the stage for a more aggressive approach to governing.