Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff as Susie Wiles steps down after the midterm defeat

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff^3,5. The White House said Miller becomes the 33rd person to hold the post, succeeding Wiles after what it called her highly successful tenure¹.

Wiles submitted her resignation on Thursday night³. People familiar with the decision said her departure was mutual but driven by Tuesday’s election results, for which Trump blamed her, and that the president had begun expressing discomfort with the scale of the midterm defeat³. Trump thanked Wiles for her service and said, “She has done a great job!”². Wiles wrote on social media that she was “pleased to announce” Miller’s appointment¹⁶.

Miller has served as White House deputy chief of staff for policy^13,27. He is the domestic policy adviser who has helped drive the administration’s immigration crackdown^4,18, and the architect of its hard-line immigration and deportation program^9,17.

Why it matters to investors

The appointment trades one of the few moderating forces around the president for one of the most maximalist champions of his agenda, a signal that Trump may double down on the hardline policies that helped Republicans lose control of Congress on Tuesday³. The announcement comes ahead of the Democratic takeover of Congress⁹ and as part of a broader post-election shake-up of the president’s team⁴.

The White House described Miller as a driving force behind what it called the administration’s major successes, and claimed those included driving violent crime to historic lows¹. Supporters cast the move as preparation for a confrontation: the television anchor Bret Baier said the president is “girding for a battle” by appointing Miller²⁷.

Criticism came from both parties. One House Republican called the move “a horrible decision”¹⁰. Representative Jayapal said Miller “is the architect of Project 2025”²². Representative Beyer said Miller is “the architect of Trump’s immigration policies that plunged quiet American communities into violence”²³. Robert Garcia, ranking member for the House Oversight Committee’s Democrats, also issued a statement after the announcement²⁴.

What to watch

Miller takes over the White House staff as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress⁹, where House Oversight Democrats are already tracking the administration’s immigration enforcement²⁴. His record on immigration, which he helped shape from inside the White House as a close adviser to the president⁷, was the focus of the Democratic statements issued on Friday^22,23.

The change at the top of the staff is the most senior move so far in the post-election reshuffle^4,8. Investors tracking policy risk will be watching whether the White House under Miller signals any change in direction on immigration, trade and the economy, or, as critics and allies alike suggested on Friday, a harder line^3,27.