Trump Names Stephen Miller White House Chief of Staff, Replacing Susie Wiles

President Donald Trump on Friday, November 6, 2026, named longtime adviser Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. The White House announcement calls Miller the 33rd chief of staff and says he succeeds Wiles. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Miller would start in the role on Monday, November 9, and that Wiles “will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation,” according to CBS News.

The move is the biggest shake-up of Trump’s team since Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate, as Reuters and the BBC reported.

What Trump and Wiles said

“I wanted to make a change,” Trump told reporters after the announcement, per CBS News. “I think Susie’s done a very good job, great job, but I just wanted to make a — Stephen’s been great. And we’ve got to make moves.”

In his post, Trump called Miller “one of my most trusted advisors” and said Wiles “has done a great job,” CBS reported.

Wiles posted on X: “Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff. Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime,” according to CBS News.

Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night, according to a U.S. official and a senior White House adviser who spoke to CBS News, and a person familiar with the conversation who spoke to the Associated Press. Three sources told CBS her resignation was tied to the midterm losses, and that she had planned to stay through the lame-duck session before Trump moved up her exit. Unconfirmed: those details come from unnamed sources; neither the White House nor Wiles has publicly given a reason.

Last month, asked whether Wiles could be replaced soon, Trump said there was “zero chance,” the BBC reported.

Who are Miller and Wiles

Miller has officially served as deputy chief of staff since Trump returned to the White House in 2025 and was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term, according to Reuters and the BBC. He is widely described as the architect of the administration’s immigration enforcement and deportation program, per CBS News.

Wiles, 69, ran Trump’s 2024 campaign and was the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, according to Reuters and the White House. She stayed in the job while being treated earlier this year for early-stage breast cancer, Reuters reported. It is unclear whether her deputies will remain at the White House, CBS reported.

Reaction

The White House release collected praise from administration officials and Republican lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance said Miller “is an amazing patriot and will do great things,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wiles “served our country with exceptional strength, devotion, and grace,” per the White House.

Democrats, who will control Congress starting in January, condemned the pick. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on X that Trump “learned nothing from his historic defeat” and “couldn’t have made a worse choice,” according to The Hill. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Miller “a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist” and urged Trump to fire him, The Hill reported. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, said Democrats “will continue to investigate Miller,” per The Hill.

What happens next

Miller takes over on Monday as the White House prepares for a Democratic-led House and Senate next year. Reuters noted the chief of staff manages White House staff and the president’s schedule and works with agencies and lawmakers, and said Miller has long favored expansive presidential power. How the new Congress uses its oversight powers will be one of the first tests of his tenure.