Donald Trump has appointed his longtime hardline immigration adviser Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff following the resignation of Susie Wiles.
The United States president announced the appointment on Truth Social, marking the administration's first major staff reshuffle since the Democratic Party won the congressional midterm elections. Miller, 41, is scheduled to formally take charge of the White House operation on Monday.
In his new post, Miller will coordinate day-to-day work across the executive mansion, controlling which visitors are granted meetings with the president and deciding what documents and intelligence briefings reach the Oval Office desk.
The position of White House chief of staff is widely regarded as one of the most powerful unelected jobs in Washington. Unlike cabinet secretaries, the chief of staff does not require confirmation by the United States Senate, allowing the president to install key personnel without congressional approval.
White House role and Republican reaction
Donald Trump pointed to their extensive working relationship to explain the promotion. In his announcement, the president said Miller had been with him from the beginning, understood how things worked, and was a shrewd political operator.
Vice President J.D. Vance publicly welcomed the appointment, while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also praised the decision. Hegseth, who leads the Department of Defense, said the veteran presidential adviser was someone who never backed down.
Miller has spent years serving as a close confidant and ideological architect for Trump, having previously worked as a senior adviser and speechwriter during Trump's first term in office. In the White House, he has championed identitarian movements that view the United States as a white, Christian nation and define immigration as an existential danger to the country.
Immigration policy and Democratic opposition
The appointment comes as Democratic lawmakers interpret their midterm election victory as a direct public rejection of the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The federal agency, known as ICE, has been charged with carrying out an aggressive campaign of mass deportations across the country.
Miller responded to his new responsibilities with a statement on the social media platform X. He wrote that the mission was now clearer than ever, pledging to fight with all their soul to support the president and defend the republic.
The selection drew immediate fury from congressional leaders. In January, Miller had described Alex Pretti, an American who was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis during protests against ICE operations, as a terrorist, before later retracting the statement.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, condemned the appointment and accused Miller of having American blood on his hands. In the upper chamber, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer pledged that his caucus would fight the incoming chief of staff step by step.
Susie Wiles resignation and cabinet departures
Miller replaces Susie Wiles, 69, who submitted her resignation on Thursday evening, according to a White House source. Wiles made history as the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff after leading Trump's 2024 presidential campaign to victory.
During her tenure, Wiles instituted strict staff discipline within the executive office, establishing an operational order that contrasted sharply with the frequent turnover of Trump's first administration. However, American news organisations reported that her standing had become increasingly fragile in recent weeks. She was notably bypassed during the hiring of White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who was dismissed after barely a week in the job.
Wiles will now transition to other responsibilities within Trump's broader political circle outside the federal government. Writing on X, she stated that her personal commitment to the president and his mission would never change.
Her departure further reduces female representation across the highest levels of the American executive branch. Donald Trump had previously fired the women leading the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the national intelligence agencies, replacing all three officials with men.
