From Monday the White House staff answers to Stephen Miller, as Susie Wiles moves to Trump's political machine
Three days after losing the midterms, Trump turns to his most outspoken adviser and signals a few changes to his cabinet as well.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday that Stephen Miller will become the new White House chief of staff. Miller, currently deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, takes over from Susie Wiles on Monday 9 November, according to Al Jazeera and TheWrap. AP reports that Wiles handed in her resignation on Thursday evening. She will work for Trump's political organisation, although her exact role is not yet known, VRT NWS reports.
Wiles, 69, was the first woman in the post and served longer as chief of staff than anyone else under Trump. She also ran his 2024 election campaign. Miller, 41, started out as a speechwriter in 2016 and is regarded as the architect of the hardline immigration policy, AP and VRT NWS write. An AP survey of voters found that about six in ten think the immigration crackdown has gone too far.
The change is the first major staff shake-up since the Republicans lost their majority in both chambers of Congress on Tuesday. Johns Hopkins professor Matthias Matthijs told VRT NWS he sees it as a choice for confrontation with the Democrats. Democrat Robert Garcia, who will chair the House Oversight Committee, advised Miller to find a lawyer, according to AP.
In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, to be broadcast on Sunday, Trump said he is also planning a few changes to his cabinet, TheWrap reports. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has nothing to fear, according to the president.