Stephen Miller takes White House top post as Wiles steps down

President Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller will serve as the next White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.

Miller, who has worked with the president since his first campaign, holds a deep bench of policy experience in Washington. He previously served as press secretary and communications chief for Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. During that time, Miller helped craft a handbook to defeat a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013. He also pushed Sessions to take a more combative stance on immigration issues. When Sessions became attorney general in Trump’s first term, Miller remained in the president’s inner circle, serving as a confidant through his years out of office and into his second term.

The promotion places a known architect of the administration’s immigration strategy at the center of daily operations. As deputy chief of staff for policy, Miller pushed to suspend habeas corpus rights for people in custody and tripled daily immigration arrest goals to 3,000. He was a primary advocate for the family separation policy during the first administration. In the current term, he supported Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, a raid in which federal agents fatally shot two American citizens. Miller described both victims as domestic terrorists at the time. His role now gives him direct influence over how the White House staff manages the president’s schedule and policy decisions. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

The selection has generated friction within the Republican Party after the group lost control of both the House and Senate in the midterms. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the decision a colossal mistake. He told Trump to rethink the promotion, citing the party's heavy losses on Tuesday. Tillis accused Miller of providing the president with bad advice on immigration. Sarah Matthews, a former deputy White House press secretary, described the replacement as terrifying. Another former administration official said the move goes against the direction voters demanded. That official noted that Wiles was seen as a brake on Miller’s influence. With Wiles gone, Miller now occupies the second most powerful role in the executive branch, behind only the president. He will manage the staff and act as a gatekeeper for access to the president. His background as a Senate aide informs his approach to using executive authority to assert presidential power. He is known for reading detailed briefs and demanding specific results from his team. Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, has also established a presence in Republican circles. She served as communications director for Vice President Pence in the first term and later advised the Department of Government Efficiency. She now hosts a podcast aimed at conservative women. Miller has remained in Trump’s orbit continuously since 2015, co-founding America First Legal after the 2020 election to advocate for dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The new chief of staff begins his tenure as the Democratic Party holds majorities in both chambers of Congress. The role requires him to navigate the day-to-day operations of a White House that has lost its legislative advantage. Miller’s tenure will be defined by his ability to manage the staff while implementing the administration’s agenda without Senate confirmation.