Stephen Miller named new White House chief of staff as Susie Wiles steps aside

Days after a major Republican defeat in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump has reshuffled the White House administration. He has removed Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and appointed his longtime close aide and one of the chief architects of his immigration policy, Stephen Miller, to the post.

Trump made the announcement on Friday (November 6), according to the international news agency AP. The decision is being seen as a signal that the administration intends to take an even tougher policy stance as Democrats grow stronger in Congress next year.

Stephen Miller, 41, has long been a member of Trump's inner circle. He began working as a speechwriter during Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016. Most recently he served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. Alongside overseeing various policy matters in the administration, he is known as one of the main architects of its hardline immigration policy.

According to political analysts, Trump has signalled that after the heavy midterm defeat he will hold a tough line rather than seek compromise with Democratic lawmakers. Miller's appointment could prove especially important as Democrats prepare investigations into the administration.

Miller has a deep understanding of presidential executive power and the workings of the federal government. As a result, the number of executive orders and administrative actions could rise in the final two years of Trump's presidency, analysts believe.

Meanwhile, Susie Wiles submitted her resignation to Trump on Thursday night. A source familiar with the matter told the Associated Press (AP). Trump, however, said Wiles would continue working with his political organisation.

Asked whether Wiles was removed because of the election defeat, Trump rejected the suggestion. He said it was not because of the election. The time has come for a change. Sometimes in life you have to make a change. I was not a candidate in the election.

Susie Wiles, Trump's longtime political adviser, was the first woman chief of staff in White House history. She took up the role at the start of Trump's second term. Although four chiefs of staff changed during his first term, Wiles served longer than any of them.

The 69-year-old Wiles played a key role in bringing discipline and coordination to Trump's election campaigns. Under her leadership, Trump's 2024 election campaign was considered more organised than his earlier campaigns.

The timing of Wiles's departure is also significant. In March this year she publicly disclosed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After months of treatment, during the midterm campaign she said tests showed no trace of cancer remained in her body.

Meanwhile, Miller's appointment has drawn criticism because of his direct association with the Trump administration's immigration policy. During the midterm campaign he posted aggressive attacks on Democrats on social media. He also promoted baseless rigging allegations about the elections in California and Alaska.

Miller was a key member of the administration's anti-fraud task force. He played a role in the crackdown on irregularities in government benefit programmes and in the decision to temporarily suspend several companies, including Microsoft, from the Green Card programme. He has also served as national security adviser at the White House.

However, the Trump administration's immigration policy has emerged as one of the reasons behind the Republicans' election defeat. In AP's post-midterm voter survey, nearly 60 percent of voters said the administration's anti-immigration drive had gone too far. They also expressed dissatisfaction with the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Criticising the appointment, Robert Garcia, the next chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee, said Trump had taken an even tougher stance just days after the American people voted against his corrupt and unlawful presidency. He alleged that Miller was one of the architects of the unconstitutional ICE operations.

Earlier, in an interview published in Vanity Fair in December 2025, Susie Wiles drew attention with remarks about Trump's personality. She said Trump has personality traits like those of an alcoholic, although he does not drink himself. In the same interview she also commented on then Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and on Vice President JD Vance's political standing.