A quota of 3,000 arrests a day

Miller's promotion is inseparable from the immigration crackdown he built as deputy chief of staff. As the architect of Trump's nativist immigration agenda, he set Immigration and Customs Enforcement a target of 3,000 arrests per day, far above levels under previous administrations, and pushed the agency to go after anyone in the country illegally rather than only those with criminal records.

The enforcement drive is also financially protected. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included major funding increases for ICE that will keep the agency funded for the rest of Trump's term, limiting any future attempt by Democrats to cut off the campaign.

• •Immigration arrest target set at 3,000 per day, far above previous administrations
• •ICE directed to target anyone in the country illegally, not only those with criminal records
• •One Big Beautiful Bill Act funding keeps ICE financed for the rest of Trump's term

The executive-order machine

The second pillar of Miller's record is the volume of unilateral presidential action he has helped steer. Trump has signed 292 executive orders in less than two years of his second term, more than in his entire first term and a record pace for a modern presidency. Miller is reportedly one of a small group of White House staffers who approve all executive orders before they are issued.

He also championed the Iran war and Trump's other priorities, including countering diversity initiatives and targeting transgender rights.

The outlook has long been stated by Miller himself. In 2017 he declared: "The powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned."

Trump's presidency has already seen him bypass Congress on military action and tariffs, withhold congressionally approved spending, deploy the National Guard against the will of state authorities, politicise the justice department, punish critics and challenge judicial independence.

What analysts expect

Those watching the appointment expect more of the same rather than a change of course. Kurt Bardella, an adviser to Democrats in Texas, said Miller "has been the id to Trump's authoritarian impulses" and that the appointment signals an intent to double down on authoritarianism.

"You're going to see a lot of executive orders, unilateral action and stress testing of the checks and balances system continue for the final two years of his presidency," Bardella said.

David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron in Ohio, said the decision to elevate Miller means Trump is "spoiling for a fight with Democrats" and will rely on executive action rather than negotiation with the new Congress.

"It's a White House that doesn't seek out cooperation with Congress. It's their way or the highway, essentially," Cohen added.

From deputy chief of staff to the top job

Miller, 41, moves up from his post as hugely powerful deputy chief of staff, having long been a proponent of expansive presidential authority. He now takes over from Susie Wiles in one of the most powerful unelected positions in Washington.

The setting he steps into is defined by the week's politics: Republicans suffered a major defeat in Tuesday's midterm elections, described as the biggest midterm landslide since Watergate, with Democrats winning control of the House of Representatives and Senate.

Miller takes over from Wiles as chief of staff, with immigration enforcement funded for the rest of Trump's term under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and with analysts predicting a continued reliance on executive orders and unilateral action in the final two years of the presidency.