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Immigration

Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff after midterm losses

Susie Wiles, who submitted her resignation Thursday, will move to Trump's political operation, while Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries calls Miller a "reckless extremist."

Donald Trump in 2025
Donald Trump in 2025. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
27 news outlets reported this
Liberal13 outletsMiller's rise signals no pivot after defeatCenter6 outletsHardline adviser raises prospect of Congress clashConservative8 outletsTrump arms for a fight with loyal Miller
Published 3 min read
Overview

President Donald Trump named Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, as White House chief of staff on Friday, Nov. 6. Miller replaces Susie Wiles, effective Monday, Nov. 9. Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night and will move to Trump's political operation, a White House official said.

The change comes days after Republicans lost both and the in Tuesday's elections. Trump called Miller "one of my most trusted advisors" and told reporters he "wanted to make a change." Miller, 41, is best known as the driving force behind the administration's immigration crackdown.

On X he wrote that "The mission now is more clear than ever." House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called him a "reckless extremist." Retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called the pick a "colossal mistake," while Utah Sen. Mike Lee praised Miller.

A White House official told Reuters the appointment signals that Trump is not changing course. Separately, Trump told 60 Minutes he expects "maybe a few changes" to his team after the midterm losses, and said he has confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Key figures
  • 58% of voters said Trump's immigration enforcement had "gone too far," in a Fox News midterm poll — The Daily Wire
  • 36% approve of the immigration crackdown in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with 54% disapproving — Yahoo News
  • 3,000 arrests a day goal Miller set for immigration arrests — Yahoo News
  • 60% of voters disapproved of ICE's job performance, in a Fox News poll — The Daily Wire

Three sides of the story

Liberal13 outlets

Miller's rise signals no pivot after defeat

Reuters' wire report, run by Yahoo News, opens with Trump naming Miller, "the architect of some of his toughest domestic policies," as chief of staff. It cites a White House official who says "He's not changing course," and quotes Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Robert Garcia ("Stephen Miller should lawyer up") and Marc Short, a former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. It adds the Reuters/Ipsos poll showing 36% approve of the crackdown.

The Boston Globe reads the move as proof there will be "no Trump pivot," and expects White House infighting and a worse outlook for JD Vance. The Daily Beast reports Miller and aide Natalie Harp leaving the White House together for Marine One, and says the promotion has been viewed as a sign Trump will not moderate. CBS News headlines Trump telling 60 Minutes he expects "maybe a few changes" to his team and has confidence in Hegseth, and says Wiles' resignation was tied to the midterm defeats.

Center6 outlets

Hardline adviser raises prospect of Congress clash

BBC News says Miller's promotion could mean Trump is "girding for political battle" instead of reaching out to . It quotes Miller's X post, Trump saying "He gets it," Jeffries on a "malignant tumor,"

Sen. Thom Tillis calling Miller "incompetent," and Sen. Mike Lee praising "a true conservative warrior." It also cites polls in which 58% of voters said enforcement had "gone too far." Reason argues Miller "will reinforce Trump's worst instincts," and recounts his past statements on immigration, the courts and the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Border Report reports that several migrant advocacy groups are speaking out against the choice. The Journal's news piece offers "five things to know" about Miller, saying he has "long shaped many of the president's most aggressive policies."

Conservative8 outlets

Trump arms for a fight with loyal Miller

The New York Post opens with "It's Miller time — and the gloves are off!" and says Trump is preparing for an "epic fight" with Democrats. It quotes a source close to the White House, Todd Blanche and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in support, and also quotes Jeffries, Tillis and Rep. Marlin Stutzman in opposition. The Washington Examiner calls Miller a "die-hard loyalist" and says the pick signals "a defiant Trump."

It quotes a former Trump administration official saying Miller "checked all three boxes." RedState reprints Trump's announcement, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's "great choice" and Fox's Bret Baier saying Trump is "girding for a battle." The Daily Wire's "Mass Gets Its Champion" recounts Miller's 3,000-a-day arrest quota and his differences with border czar Tom Homan over enforcement.

It also relays CNN's report that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has at times clashed openly with Miller, but that the two have a "positive" working relationship. It adds the 58% poll.

What a side did not mention
  • Centrist outlets did not mentionThree weeks earlier, Trump had told reporters there was zero chance he would replace Wiles. Reported by MS NOW, Breitbart News, Washington Examiner
  • Liberal outlets did not mentionRetiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina publicly condemned the choice of Miller as chief of staff. Reported by BBC News, New York Post
  • Conservative outlets did not mentionMiller called Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, a domestic terrorist. Reported by BBC News, Reason, The New Republic
All sources: 46 articles from 27 outlets

Liberal (21)

Center (10)

Conservative (15)

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