Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles

The announcement

Trump announced on Friday, 6 November 2026, in a post on his Truth Social account that Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff from Monday, 9 November 2026. Miller is currently deputy chief of staff and is credited with designing the administration's tough immigration line. He takes over from Susie Wiles, who has held the top staff post since Trump's inauguration. In the post, Trump called Miller one of his most trusted advisers and said Wiles had done an outstanding job. Wiles will move to Trump's political operation, a role outside the government.

Midterm fallout

The change follows Republican losses in the midterm elections, which cost the party its majorities in both the House and the Senate. The result was seen as a rebuke of how Trump has handled the economy and the war with Iran that he decided in February to pursue. The defeat has also heightened friction inside the administration. Officials are bracing for congressional investigations by Democrats and for further turnover in the West Wing and the cabinet. Two more senior officials at the Justice Department are also stepping down.

Wiles's tenure and standing

Wiles, the first woman to run the West Wing's top staff job, played a central role in Trump's 2024 election victory, four years after his defeat by Joseph R. Biden Jr. She backed the selection of Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary, figures many people outside the government see as stabilizing. Officials with knowledge of her role say she tried, mostly at the margins, to shape decisions on immigration and other core issues. Unlike some predecessors, she did not see her task as fundamentally changing the president.

Behind the scenes, officials with knowledge of the dynamics saw signs that her standing with the president was shaky. Trump cut her out of hiring decisions, including the choice of an inexperienced television pundit to replace press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is departing. He also began criticizing her in front of other staff members, among them over decisions he had already approved. Wiles was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026, and it was later announced in the autumn that she was cancer free.

Miller's rise and what comes next

Miller has been part of Trump's circle since 2016 and is seen as the architect of several core policies, immigration above all. The promotion makes him the president's most senior aide from Monday, 9 November 2026. His elevation also reshapes the group of advisers around Trump while the White House is still absorbing the midterm defeat. Wiles's move to the political operation takes place alongside his promotion.