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US Politics

Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles

The change comes days after Republicans lost control of Congress, and Rep. Robert Garcia says House Democrats will investigate Miller, who starts Monday.

Stephen Miller in 2025
Stephen Miller in 2025. Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
50 news outlets reported this
Liberal19 outletsMiller's rise as a doubling down after defeatCenter13 outletsHardline immigration architect replaces Wiles after midterm routConservative18 outletsMiller's promotion and the Republican reckoning
Published 4 min read
Overview

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller, the deputy chief of staff and a main architect of Trump's hardline immigration and mass policy, starts Monday, Nov. 9. Trump said Wiles will move to the Trump Political Operation.

The change comes days after Republicans lost control of in Tuesday's elections. Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night, according to a US official who spoke to CBS News. Three sources told CBS the resignation was tied to the election losses.

Trump told reporters he "wanted to make a change" and that Wiles had done a very good job. Wiles wrote on X that serving Trump was "the honor of a lifetime." Wiles was the first woman to serve as chief of staff.

Trump allies praised the pick. Communications director Steven Cheung said there is "no bigger advocate for the Trump agenda" than Miller. Vice President JD Vance called him "an amazing patriot," and Pete Hegseth posted congratulations on X. Democrats objected.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump "learned nothing" from the election. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called Miller "a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist." Rep. Robert Garcia, in line to chair Oversight Committee, said Democrats will investigate Miller and that he "should lawyer up."

Key figures
  • Monday, November 9, 2026 date Miller starts as chief of staff, per Trump's post — MS NOW

Three sides of the story

Liberal19 outlets

Miller's rise as a doubling down after defeat

CBS News calls the move "a doubling down" on Trump's approach despite voters' rejection on Tuesday, and builds its report around Democratic reaction, quoting Schumer, Jeffries and Garcia. MS NOW reports that senior White House officials told it they were bracing for Wiles' "potential departure" after Tuesday's election results. It says one official quoted Wiles telling Trump, "Let me make this easy on you: I am going to resign."

It adds that some administration officials fear Miller will revive more extreme ideas. Al Jazeera English runs a profile of Miller, from his Duke days to his role in the deportation drive, and says the move came after the Republican midterm "drubbing." The Daily Beast turns to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who made at least six posts praising Miller, and notes reports that Wiles had been angling to make Hegseth take the fall for the midterms.

NBC News carries a Meet the Press segment in which a newly elected House Democrat says Trump did not listen to voters.

Center13 outlets

Hardline immigration architect replaces Wiles after midterm rout

BBC News leads with Trump naming "the architect of his hardline immigration policy" after historic losses, and relays CBS's account of Wiles' Thursday night resignation. It recalls that when Trump was asked last month whether Wiles could be replaced soon, he said there was "zero chance." It also reports Cheung's praise of Miller and the criticism from Jeffries and Garcia.

Deutsche Welle profiles Miller as "known for taking controversial positions" and quotes Schumer and Jeffries. Euronews says the promotion places Miller "at the centre of White House decision-making," and notes the January shootings of two protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis. Newsweek lists six priorities for Miller, including immigration, Congress, the Iran war and the economy, and quotes Garcia.

Deseret News carried a text also run by more than one outlet. It recounts Wiles' career, her cancer treatment and her Vanity Fair interviews.

Conservative18 outlets

Miller's promotion and the Republican reckoning

The Washington Examiner leads with Jeffries' post on X: "His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor. Fire him today." It adds reactions from Schumer, Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. Don Beyer and Garcia.

The Federalist ties the change to Republican midterm losses. It quotes Steve Bannon, who said Wiles should be "removed and removed immediately," and Claremont Institute fellow Matthew Peterson, who calls Miller's succession a "game changer." It says Miller is well-liked on the right.

A text run by the Daily Mail and also carried by another outlet says Trump told reporters he "wanted to make a change," while a senior White House official said Wiles "gave her resignation last night." It quotes Vance calling Miller "an amazing patriot" and notes Hegseth's posts on X. The Center Square reports Wiles' farewell post and describes her as the first woman in the job. The Blaze says her replacement "will make liberals implode."

What a side did not mention
  • Centrist outlets did not mentionRepublican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, who had called for Miller's firing after the midterms, called his promotion a horrible decision. Reported by Semafor, Daily Mail
  • Centrist outlets did not mentionThe lobbying work of Wiles' daughter had drawn scrutiny in the months before her departure. Reported by The Daily Beast, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Mail, Daily Mail
  • Conservative outlets did not mentionExit polls found about six in ten midterm voters said the administration's immigration enforcement had gone too far. Reported by NBC News, The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times
Official statements
All sources: 65 articles from 50 outlets

Liberal (25)

Center (17)

Conservative (23)

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