Donald Trump has named Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff, moving out Susie Wiles in the biggest shake-up of his team since Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Miller takes over on Monday, 9 November. Trump announced the change on Friday, 6 November, in a post on Truth Social, calling Miller “one of my most trusted advisors” and saying Wiles “has done an outstanding job” and would move to his political operation.
“I wanted to make a change,” Trump told reporters shortly after the announcement. “Stephen’s been great. And we’ve got to make moves. Sometimes, sometimes in life, you have to make moves.” He described Miller as “very good politically” and a “great manager.”
Wiles handed in her resignation on Thursday night, a US official and a senior White House adviser told CBS News. Three people familiar with the matter said her departure was tied to the midterm defeats. She had planned to stay through the lame-duck session of Congress and leave around the end of the year or early next year, according to people familiar with her thinking. Trump brought the exit forward.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” Wiles wrote on X. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime.”
Shakeup at a glance
| Role | Person | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| New chief of staff | Stephen Miller | Starts Monday, 9 November 2026 |
| Outgoing chief of staff | Susie Wiles | Moves to Trump Political Operation |
| Resignation | Wiles | Submitted Thursday night, 5 November |
Miller record and role
Miller has been one of Trump’s closest and most loyal aides for years. He has a broad portfolio in the White House, including as architect of the president’s immigration enforcement and deportation programme. Trump described him as “very good politically” and a “great manager.”
Trump’s choice signals a doubling down on his approach to governing, even after voters rejected his agenda on Tuesday. Miller is loathed by Democrats in Congress, who see him as the driving force behind some of the administration’s hardest-line policies.
Wiles tenure ends
Wiles ran Trump’s 2024 campaign and served as chief of staff from his first day back in the White House. She was the first woman to hold the job.
Democrats react
Democrats denounced the move within hours and promised more pressure on Miller once they take control of Congress in January. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on X that “Donald Trump learned nothing from his historic defeat” and called Miller “the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become speaker, called Miller “a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands.” Representative Robert Garcia, set to chair the House Oversight Committee, said Miller “should lawyer up” and promised continued investigation of his conduct.
Miller thanked “the incomparable Susie Wiles” and said the “mission is more clear than ever: Fight with all of our hearts for the America our citizens deserve.”
