Miller takes charge of the West Wing as Walters departs
Seven Lights
Stephen Miller took office as White House chief of staff on Monday, placing the architect of President Trump’s immigration crackdown at the head of a West Wing reorganized after the Republican midterm defeat.
“Stephen Miller will be leaving his position in the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. Susie Wiles, the outgoing chief of staff, moves to lead the Trump Political Operation. She said serving Mr. Trump “has been the honor of a lifetime.”
Deputy White House chief of staff Richard Walters is exiting his job ahead of Mr. Miller’s takeover, Fox News reported.
Mr. Miller wrote on X that Mr. Trump was “the most transformative political leader in American History.” He wrote that the president “has single-handedly saved America from those who would destroy it.” He thanked Ms. Wiles for her “devoted service.” He set the staff’s task in blunt terms: “Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.”
Senator Bernie Sanders said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was “not worried” about the change, though host Kristen Welker noted his long history of criticizing Mr. Miller. Incoming Democratic lawmakers attacked the appointment. Representative-elect Abdul el Sayed of Michigan called the promotion part of the president’s “incoherent messaging,” and Democrats across the ticket assailed what one called a culture of “fear and vitriol.”
Mr. Miller served in Mr. Trump’s first administration and was in some respects a co-equal of Ms. Wiles in the second. PBS reported that immigration, once a political strength for the president, became a liability after two years of mass detentions, deportations and armed agents in American cities. Semafor reported that Republicans fear no successor to Mr. Trump can emerge from his White House.
Democrats won control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections. Mr. Miller’s first day fell as incoming lawmakers laid plans to investigate the administration’s immigration enforcement.