OddsFrontTrump replaces chief of staff Susie Wiles with hardliner Stephen Miller after midterm losses
Trump named deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, architect of his deportation drive, to lead the White House from Monday, moving Susie Wiles to his political operation in the first big shake-up since the midterm defeat.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff and the driving force behind his deportation program, will become White House chief of staff on Monday, November 9, replacing Susie Wiles. CBS News described it as the most significant shake-up of Trump’s team since Republicans suffered losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Miller “one of my most trusted advisors.” He said Wiles, who “has done an outstanding job,” will move to the Trump Political Operation. Wiles responded with her own statement, writing that it was her last day as chief of staff and that serving Trump had been the honor of a lifetime.
Why Wiles is leaving
Wiles handed in her resignation on Thursday night, a U.S. official and a senior White House adviser told CBS News. Three sources told the network the move was tied to the Republican defeats. A White House official described the decision to Fox News Digital as “very amicable.”
Axios reported that the parting was mutual but shaped by the election results, for which Trump blamed her. One person who spoke with Wiles told the outlet that Trump had not asked her to quit, but could not shake the belief that she, rather than he, was at fault.
Axios also wrote that Wiles had been a critical voice on the war in Iran and had repeatedly questioned the harsh immigration tactics Miller champions. In its telling, those two policies helped drive the midterm result that cost her the president’s confidence. Fox News said Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate, with the Iran war and cost-of-living worries weighing on voters.
The change also reverses recent public assurances. Axios noted that on Oct. 16 Trump said there was “zero chance” of replacing her, and CBS recalled him calling such reports “fake news.”
A record tenure
Fox News said Wiles served for 21 months, making her Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff across both terms. Four people held the post in his first term, and the longest of them, John Kelly, stayed about 17 months. She was also the first woman in the job and had run his 2024 campaign. She disclosed an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in March and said in September that she was cancer free, according to Fox News.
Reaction
Vice President JD Vance thanked Wiles and congratulated Miller. Communications director Steven Cheung called Miller a long-standing advocate of the Trump agenda, and Attorney General Todd Blanche also welcomed the appointment.
Democrats reacted sharply. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump had “learned nothing” from the defeat and called Miller the architect of the administration’s harshest policies. Rep. Robert Garcia, in line to chair the House Oversight Committee, said Miller “should lawyer up” and promised investigations.
What is unclear
CBS News said the appointment signals a doubling down on Trump’s governing approach despite voters’ rejection of it. Trump had said in recent days that he could work with the incoming Democratic leadership, but the network noted Miller’s elevation could set up a far more confrontational relationship once Democrats take power in January. It remains unclear whether Wiles’s deputies will stay in the White House.