The Stephen Miller chief of staff appointment came three days after the midterms, in which Republicans lost control of Congress. Miller takes over the job on Monday, succeeding Susie Wiles, whose exit the president confirmed when he announced the move on Friday.

Friday announcement and Wiles's exit

Wiles, 69, handed in her resignation on Thursday night, according to the report of the announcement. In a social media post she wrote that she was "so proud to have been a part of what we've accomplished together", citing securing the border, cutting taxes, strengthening the economy and putting America First.

She said serving Trump has been the honor of a lifetime, and that her commitment to "the President and the mission" will not change. Trump praised Wiles in a social media post for doing "an outstanding job". She leaves as the longest-serving chief of staff Trump has had; he cycled through four of them during his first four-year term.

Trump on his choice

Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One on Friday, together with Miller, secretary of state Marco Rubio and aide Natalie Harp, that "I wanted to make a change". He said Wiles had done a very good job, that Miller had been great, and that "we've got to make moves".

The president called Miller, 41, "one of my most trusted advisors". Of his incoming aide, Trump said: "Stephen's been with me from the beginning. He gets it." He called him very good politically, a very good man, a great manager who will do a great job.

Reaction to the appointment

Critics and analysts tied the move directly to the midterm result. Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote on X that the appointment was "a bucket of ICE cold water" for anyone hoping Trump might work with the incoming Congress.

Vermont congresswoman Becca Balint posted on X that the American people had voted against the administration's policies on Tuesday, adding: "He promotes Stephen Miller – the architect of some of this administration's worst decisions. Sickening."

Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as White House communications director in Trump's first term, tweeted that "Trump saw the midterm results and decided elevating Stephen Miller is the answer", adding that he might want to finish destroying the @GOP.

Author Chris Whipple told CNN it was "almost a declaration of war by Trump", saying Miller "only knows one gear and that's full-throttle, full steam ahead over the cliff".

Who is Stephen Miller

Miller, 41, has served as deputy chief of staff since Trump's return to the presidency in January 2025. The report sketches his record:

• •He joined Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as a speechwriter and previously worked for Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, who became Trump's first attorney general.
• •In Trump's first term he was the driving force behind policies including family separation and a travel ban on Muslim-majority countries.
• •In his current role he has pushed hardline immigration measures, including ending birthright citizenship.
• •More than a hundred Democrats in Congress signed a letter to Trump calling him a "documented white nationalist" and demanding his removal.
• •A 2020 biography of Miller by journalist Jean Guerrero was entitled Hatemonger.

On Sean Hannity's Fox News show on the Monday before the midterms, Miller credited Trump with having "saved America from open borders" and with protecting the country from what he called foreign and domestic adversaries. He urged viewers to vote, saying Trump "took a bullet for you" and "faced life in prison for you".

Miller begins as chief of staff on Monday, succeeding Wiles, who resigned on Thursday night after serving as Trump's longest-serving chief of staff.