Stephen Miller replacing Susie Wiles as chief of staff, Trump announces
By Kevin Liptak, Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, Adam Cancryn, CNN
(CNN) — Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, is departing her role days after catastrophic Republican midterm losses. She will be replaced by Stephen Miller, a longtime aide to President Donald Trump who orchestrated his hardline immigration agenda.
The move is the first major staff shakeup after the midterms, and came after Trump voiced fury at the strategy that led to Republicans decisively losing majorities in the House and Senate, people familiar with the matter said.
Yet the decision to elevate Miller – one of the most powerful and controversial engineers of Trump’s second term – to the top staff position in the West Wing is a sign the president does not intend to fundamentally change his governing approach.
Trump said Wiles would move to his political operation, adding that she “has done an outstanding job.” Wiles submitted her resignation on Thursday evening, two sources familiar with the matter said, and the president announced that the move would take effect Monday.
Trump, who initially appeared unfazed by the results of the Tuesday night midterms, has become angrier as he’s watched coverage of the historic losses, according to the people familiar with his response. That sour mood has spread throughout the West Wing, which has become increasingly factionalized in recent days.
Trump made his displeasure with his political team known starting at a tense election night reception in the East Room, according to one of the people familiar with the matter. He vented that deep Republican losses were the result of their strategy. Wiles was among those Trump blamed for the Republican losses, the person said.
Since the midterms wipeout, Trump had heard from several allies and associates who urged him to make changes to his senior staff in response to the losses, arguing that there needed to be a change in approach inside the West Wing, a source familiar with the matter said.
Miller, currently a deputy chief of staff who has been the mastermind behind some of Trump’s most polarizing priorities, has widened his portfolio over the past year to include wide swaths of domestic policy and has advocated for an expansive view of executive power.
Miller has worked for Trump since his first presidential campaign, which began in 2015.
Wiles said in a statement on X that serving Trump was “the honor of a lifetime” and that she was “proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together.”
“While my role may be changing, my commitment to the President and the mission never will,” she added.
Trump had asked allies over the past several days whether they believed Miller would be a suitable choice to replace Wiles, one person familiar with the conversations said. He also raised Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as a possible candidate, the person said.
Before becoming the first-ever woman to serve as White House chief of staff, Wiles was Trump’s campaign manager in the 2024 election. She recently announced she had completed treatment for breast cancer.
Trump cycled through four chiefs of staff during his first term. Wiles lasted longer in the post than any of them. She adopted a strategy that did not seek to fundamentally alter the way Trump carried out the job or change his priorities. Instead, she sought to use influential figures within Trump’s orbit to shape his governing agenda.
Trump, who frequently used the term “ice maiden” to describe his no-nonsense top aide, had as recently as last month insisted she would remain in the job for the foreseeable future.
“Susie is here and she’s gonna be here for a long time,” he said on October 16.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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