President Trump elevated longtime adviser Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff on Friday, as Susie Wiles stepped down days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress.
What changed
On Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump said Miller — already deputy chief of staff — will become White House chief of staff starting Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. Wiles, the first woman to hold the job in this administration, will move to the Trump political operation, according to Trump’s announcement and a White House statement.
Trump told reporters he “wanted to make a change,” praised Wiles’s work, and said Miller has been “great,” according to CBS News and CNBC. A White House release named Miller the 33rd White House chief of staff.
Wiles posted on X that Friday was her last day in the role. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime,” she wrote, adding that her commitment to the president “never will” change even as her role does. CBS News reported she submitted her resignation Thursday night and that people familiar with the matter tied the exit to the midterm losses.
Who Miller is
Miller has been one of Trump’s closest aides for more than a decade and a central figure on immigration and border policy. Trump called him “one of my most trusted advisors.” On X, Miller said it had been “the privilege of my lifetime” to serve from “Day One” and that the mission now is to “Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.”
How Democrats responded
Top Democrats attacked the pick within hours.
- House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X that Miller is “a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands,” and said his presence in government “should be eradicated like a malignant tumor.”
- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote that Trump “learned nothing from his historic defeat,” called Miller the “architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration,” and said Democratic majorities “will fight him every step of the way.”
- Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking Democrat on House Oversight, said in a committee statement that Oversight Democrats will keep investigating Miller and that Miller “should lawyer up.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche replied on X Friday evening: “The Chief of Staff already has a lawyer. The Attorney General of the United States and the Department of Justice.”
Miller starts Monday. Democrats take majority control of the House and Senate in January.
Sources: White House release · CBS News · CNBC · House Oversight Democrats · @SusieWiles47 · @StephenM · @RepJeffries · @SenSchumer · @AGToddBlanche · @WhiteHouse
