Trump appoints hardliner Miller as Chief Of Staff after midterm election defeat

US President Donald Trump has appointed Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles following the Republican Party’s heavy losses in this week’s midterm elections. Miller, 41, has been a leading figure behind Trump’s immigration policies, serving as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.

Asked on Friday, November 6, why he had replaced Wiles, Trump told reporters: “I wanted to make a change.” “Sometimes in life you have to make moves,” he added. The appointment followed Trump’s repeated assurances before the elections that there was “zero chance” he would replace Wiles. A White House official told AFP that she resigned on Thursday night.

Announcing the change on Truth Social, Trump described Miller as “one of my most trusted advisors”. He said Wiles would move to his political operation and praised her work at the White House. “I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff. She has done a great job!” he wrote.

Miller’s promotion drew strong criticism from Democrats, who secured congressional majorities in the midterms. “Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn’t have made a worse choice,” Chuck Schumer wrote on X.

“Our Democratic majorities will fight him every step of the way.” Miller played a central role in developing the mass deportation programme that became a defining policy of Trump’s second term.

He faced widespread criticism after immigration agents fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis in January, incidents that triggered mass demonstrations. The administration’s enforcement operations also drew scrutiny over masked agents and confrontations with members of the public. White House communications director Steven Cheung welcomed Miller’s appointment, describing him as a longstanding Trump ally.

“He will help the Administration deliver on monumental victories for the rest of this historic second term,” Cheung said. Wiles, 69, was the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. Trump nicknamed her the “ice maiden” for her efforts to maintain discipline in the West Wing.

For much of the past two years, she had helped limit the staff turnover and internal disputes that characterised Trump’s first administration. She also recently announced that she had received the all-clear following breast cancer. In a statement on X, Wiles confirmed that Friday would be her final day as chief of staff. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime,” she said.

“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.” Prominent supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement welcomed the appointment. Right-wing commentator Jack Posobiec posted, “It’s Miller Time,” borrowing a well-known American beer slogan.