President Donald Trump has named Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration crackdown, as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles after Republicans lost seats in the midterm elections, according to the Guardian. Miller is set to begin the role on Monday.
France 24 reported that Miller is Wiles’s deputy and that Trump chose him to replace her. Miller is behind many of the administration’s signature domestic policy initiatives, especially its sweeping immigration crackdown, and is known for harsh language, according to PBS NewsHour headlines.
Miller pledged "total devotion" to Trump at an event on Friday evening. He said he would give "my absolute loyalty, my unwavering commitment, and my total devotion to your success," according to the Guardian.
The appointment followed Republican losses in the midterms. As of Saturday morning, Republicans had lost seven Senate seats, 42 House seats and five governor races, according to the Guardian. The Alaska and Mississippi Senate races had not yet been called, so the final Senate tally is unconfirmed.
Wiles had been seen by some as a stabilising force in the White House, according to France 24. The sources give no reason for her departure, and no response from Wiles has been reported.
Some Republicans have been critical. Marlin Stutzman, a Republican congressman from Indiana, called the move a "horrible decision" in comments to Politico. Don Bacon, outgoing Republican congressman from Nebraska, said Miller "cost us seats in Texas and Arizona."
France 24 reported that, with Democrats now controlling both chambers of Congress, Trump is seeking a more aggressive approach to pushing his agenda. AP reports that Miller’s record is likely to be scrutinized by Democrats as he leads the White House through a lame-duck period.
Trump’s own on-record explanation for the change is not quoted in the sources. He has said he expects "a few changes" to his team. Questions also remain over the future of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and when asked about confidence in him, Trump said "I do."
The key details of the change rest mainly on two outlets, France 24 and the Guardian, and the PBS/AP text is partial while the France 24 item is a short video summary. No Democratic official response is quoted beyond AP’s note on scrutiny of Miller’s record.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.