Trump elevates Stephen Miller to chief of staff after Republican midterm defeat

Donald Trump has appointed Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles days after Republicans suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections. Miller, currently deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, is due to take up the post on Monday 9 November. Trump announced the change on Truth Social, calling Miller one of his most trusted advisers.

He praised Wiles’ performance as chief of staff, describing her tenure as outstanding, and said she would move to his political operation. Wiles said serving in the White House had been “the honor of a lifetime” and reaffirmed her commitment to the president and his political mission. The appointment follows an election in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.

Reports from Euronews and India Today describe the result as a major setback for Trump and the Republican Party, which had entered the contest with narrow congressional majorities. Miller has been a central figure in Trump’s political circle since the president’s first campaign in 2016, when he worked as a speechwriter. He has since become one of the administration’s most influential voices on immigration and national security.

He helped shape policies focused on tougher border enforcement and mass deportations during Trump’s second term. His promotion puts one of the administration’s strongest advocates of restrictive immigration policy at the centre of White House decision-making. Euronews said the move came amid scrutiny of immigration operations, including criticism after immigration agents fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis in January, an incident that prompted demonstrations.

Wiles had been widely credited with bringing organisational discipline to Trump’s political operations and White House. She joined his team during the 2016 campaign, managed his Florida campaign in 2020 and oversaw the national campaign in 2024. She became the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff and, according to India Today, Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff.

The reports differ in their description of Wiles’ departure. Euronews presents the change as a reassignment from the White House to Trump’s political operation, while India Today uses the language of replacement and reports that she said her final day as chief of staff was 6 November. Both accounts agree that she will continue working with Trump politically.

India Today also reports that Wiles disclosed an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in March, underwent surgery and treatment, and said in September that she no longer showed evidence of the disease. The supplied reports do not say that her health prompted the personnel change. The midterm result is expected to complicate Trump’s legislative programme.

Democratic control of Congress will give the party control of committees and greater powers to investigate the administration. Against that backdrop, the move from Wiles to Miller represents a reshaping of Trump’s closest advisers at a politically sensitive point in his second term.