White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts his first cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
President Donald Trump is replacing White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, one of his most hardline advisers, in the wake of the Republican Party’s historic midterm rout.
The 80-year-old president announced the move Friday on Truth Social, following recent reporting that Wiles and her allies would be scapegoated if the GOP lost this week’s elections.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote.
Wiles, who Trump said “has done an outstanding job,” “will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation,” the president wrote. He thanked her for her service, adding, “She has done a great job!”
The move elevates one of the administration’s most hardline figures. Miller has been the driving force behind Trump’s immigration crackdown. He takes over a White House that insiders describe as demoralized and splintering, with some staffers reportedly being advised to seek legal counsel as a “precaution.”
“There is no holding back on the desire to leave now,” one former White House official told MS NOW. “Some are making calls to try and jump ship.”
The same former official summed up the mood in one word: “pain.” They predicted: “Everybody’s gonna start infighting.”
Another former official said of Trump’s agenda: “In this current trajectory, there’s no shot this is salvageable.”
Insiders also told MS NOW that staff were frustrated that Trump focused on his ballroom and Reflecting Pool projects as his party headed toward defeat.
This is a developing story.
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