Stephen Miller Named Trump Chief of Staff, Replaced Susie Wiles, Bringing Immigration Hard-Liner to Top Role/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump named Stephen Miller to replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, effective Monday. The appointment elevates a longtime adviser whose work spans immigration restrictions, conservative legal advocacy and plans to expand executive action. Wiles, the first woman to hold the position, will move to Trump’s political operation following Republicans’ loss of Congress.
Quick Look
- Leadership change: Miller will replace Wiles beginning Monday, Nov. 9.
- Political transition: Trump said Wiles would continue working for his political organization.
- Longtime adviser: Miller joined Trump’s 2016 campaign as a speechwriter and served throughout his first administration.
- Immigration architect: His work has included travel restrictions, deportation policies and efforts to limit immigration.
- Broader responsibilities: Miller has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.
- Legal advocacy: Between administrations, he co-founded America First Legal.
- Executive-action planning: Miller has helped develop options for governing without new congressional legislation.
- Wiles’ legacy: She managed Trump’s successful 2024 campaign and became his longest-serving White House chief of staff.
Deep Look
Trump Elevates Miller After Republican Election Losses
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, promoting one of his closest advisers just days after Republicans lost control of Congress.
The change takes effect Monday. Wiles will move to Trump’s political operation, with the president saying she “has done an outstanding job.”
The appointment places a central architect of Trump’s immigration agenda in charge of the broader White House staff as the administration prepares for divided government and intensified Democratic oversight.
Wiles said her departure would not change her loyalty to the president.
“Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime. I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First,” she wrote.
“While my role may be changing, my commitment to the President and the mission never will.”
Who Is Stephen Miller?
Miller built his career in conservative politics before becoming one of Trump’s most enduring advisers.
He grew up in Santa Monica, California, and graduated from Duke University in 2007 with a political science degree. During college, he participated in conservative organizations and wrote political commentary for the student newspaper.
Before joining Trump, Miller worked for Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Shadegg, and later became an aide to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. His work with Sessions included opposition to immigration reform proposals. Sessions subsequently became Trump’s first attorney general.
Miller joined Trump’s first presidential campaign as a speechwriter and remained a senior policy adviser throughout the president’s first term. His return as deputy chief of staff expanded his influence beyond immigration into a wider domestic policy portfolio.
Immigration Policies Defined His First White House Tenure
Miller helped shape some of the first Trump administration’s most consequential and disputed immigration measures.
His work included a leading role in developing the original travel-ban executive order. He also advocated restrictions on refugee admissions and supported the administration’s family-separation approach at the southern border.
Those policies made him a prominent figure among supporters of stricter immigration enforcement and a major target of civil rights criticism.
His influence extended to proposals limiting access to immigration benefits, including rules aimed at denying green cards to applicants considered likely to use public assistance.
America First Legal Became His Project Between Administrations
After Trump left office, Miller co-founded America First Legal, an organization that pursued conservative priorities through litigation and challenged Biden administration policies. Its work helped maintain a legal and political infrastructure supporting Trump’s agenda outside government.
Ahead of Trump’s return, the organization also warned officials in jurisdictions limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement that they could face legal consequences. AP reporting described those warnings as a potential blueprint for action against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions.
The organization gave Miller a platform to advance immigration and other conservative causes while preparing for a possible second Trump administration.
Second-Term Portfolio Includes Deportations and Homeland Security
Miller returned to the White House as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisergiving him a role coordinating immigration enforcement and other domestic security matters.
Reuters reported in July 2025 that his expanded responsibilities included leadership of the White House Homeland Security Council. His policy work encompassed increased immigration arrests, travel restrictions and efforts to narrow birthright citizenship.
He has also pressed agencies to accelerate immigration enforcement. Axios reported that Miller and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded a target of 3,000 immigration arrests daily during a May 2025 meeting.
These initiatives underscore the operational role Miller has played, translating presidential priorities into demands on federal departments.
Miller Helped Prepare for Governing Without Congress
Miller’s promotion also comes after work on contingency plans for a Democratic takeover of Congress.
Reuters reported before the election that Miller, budget director Russell Vought and the White House Counsel’s Office had been examining executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending that Trump could pursue without new legislation.
According to that reporting, the planning began in April and included assessing the administration’s legal authority and potential court challenges.
His elevation therefore puts an adviser already involved in those preparations at the center of managing the administration’s response to its new political constraints. Any executive measures would remain subject to applicable law and judicial review.
Wiles Moves From White House Management to Political Work
Wiles leaves after serving as Trump’s longest-tenured White House chief of staff. During his first term, Trump cycled through four people in the position.
A longtime Florida Republican operative, she helped guide his successful 2024 campaign before becoming the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff.
Her departure also follows treatment for breast cancer, a diagnosis she disclosed in March. She later said she no longer showed evidence of the disease. The supplied reports did not identify her health as the reason for the leadership change.
Trump praised her service and said she would remain involved in his political organization.
New Role Broadens Miller’s Responsibilities
As chief of staff, Miller will move beyond directing policy initiatives to managing White House operationscoordinating senior advisers and helping organize the president’s agenda.
The transition comes as Democrats prepare to use their congressional majorities to investigate the administration and challenge its policies.
Miller’s record suggests continuity with Trump’s restrictive immigration agenda and expansive approach to executive authority. How he manages the wider demands of the chief of staff position will become a central question for the administration’s remaining two years.
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