41-year-old Stephen Miller replaces Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff
The 41-year-old immigration policy architect takes over the role following Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
By Oliver Bennett ·
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles stepped down on Thursday night, and President Donald Trump named Stephen Miller as her successor on Friday. The change installs a 41-year-old policy architect as the president’s closest adviser during a period when the administration faces a newly empowered Democratic Congress.
Miller has served in Trump’s inner circle since 2016, when he joined the campaign as a speechwriter. He most recently held the position of deputy chief of staff for policy. His tenure is defined by his role in shaping the administration’s hard-line immigration policies.
The personnel shift follows the Republican Party’s losses in the midterm elections held on Tuesday. Democratic lawmakers, who now hold greater power in the House, have identified Miller as a primary target for oversight investigations. His appointment signals a strategy to confront the new congressional majority rather than seek cooperation.
Wiles, 69, served as the first woman to hold the chief of staff position in Trump’s second term. She remained in the role after revealing a breast cancer diagnosis in March 2026. She reported being cancer-free in the fall, six months after going public with the news. Trump stated that Wiles would continue working for his political organization.
Trump denied that the election results drove the decision. “Not because of the election. It’s just time,” he said Friday. “Sometimes you change. The election wasn’t my election. I wasn’t on the ballot.”
Miller’s background in immigration enforcement has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats. Representative Robert Garcia of California, who is set to chair the House Oversight Committee, called Miller the architect of ICE raids. “Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” Garcia said in a statement.
The AP Voter Poll conducted during the midterm campaign found that about 60% of voters believed the administration’s immigration enforcement actions had gone too far. They expressed disapproval of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement handled its responsibilities.
Miller accompanied Trump on a trip to Florida on Friday. As he departed the White House, Trump told reporters that Miller “gets it” and is “very good politically.” Wiles called serving the president “the honor of a lifetime” in a social media post released shortly after the announcement.
