[Edaily Reporter KIM YOON JI ] U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 6th (local time) that he would appoint Stephen Miller (41), the current Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House, as the new Chief of Staff. By selecting Miller—a key architect of his hardline immigration policies—as Chief of Staff despite his crushing defeat in the midterm elections, President Trump is seen as signaling his intention to continue his existing policy direction.
On the same day, President Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to describe Miller as “one of my most trusted advisors” and announced that he would assume the role of Chief of Staff on the 9th. Regarding Susie Wiles, who has served as Chief of Staff since the start of Trump’s second term, President Trump stated, “I want to thank her for her dedication as Chief of Staff. She did a great job,” adding that Wiles would be moving to the “Trump Political Organization.” President Trump did not provide specific details about what the “Trump Political Organization” is or what role Wiles will assume there. Wiles is the first female White House Chief of Staff in U.S. history.
Wiles announced via X that day that it was her last day as Chief of Staff. She said, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the President,” adding, “My role may change, but my dedication to the President and our mission will never waver.”
Following the appointment of the new Chief of Staff, Miller stated on X, “Our mission is clearer now than ever,” adding, “We must support the President with all our hearts and fight to defend our great republic.”
This personnel change marks a shake-up of key White House staff just three days after the Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources, reported that President Trump had been asking acquaintances in recent weeks for their assessments of Wiles’ performance.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing sources, that this personnel change “came after President Trump had asked acquaintances in recent weeks for their assessment of Wiles’ performance.”

This appointment came three days after the Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. It marks the first personnel change within the White House cabinet following the election loss.
Miller is a key aide who has advised President Trump for about 10 years, dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign. Having served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and National Security Advisor, he has exerted significant influence over the formulation of major domestic and foreign policies, including the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Miller spearheaded the 2017 travel ban on visitors from Muslim-majority countries, the policy of separating immigrant families at the border, and the scaling back of refugee resettlement programs. During the administration’s second term, he designed hardline immigration policies, including large-scale deportations and the revocation of legal residency status.
In particular, he played a pivotal role in pushing for immigration raids in major U.S. cities that resembled military operations. During these operations, masked and heavily armed immigration enforcement agents clashed with residents in major cities such as Chicago.
In January of this year, when a U.S. citizen was shot and killed during a federal immigration raid in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Miller sparked controversy by labeling the victim a “domestic terrorist” and claiming that he had “attempted to assassinate federal law enforcement officers.”
Miller’s influence extends beyond immigration policy. He has been involved in pressuring U.S. universities over their diversity policies, taking action against law firms representing President Trump’s opponents, and dismissing public officials deemed disloyal. He is also reported to have played a key role in designing a military strike targeting a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The New York Times (NYT) cited Miller’s active alignment with President Trump’s political beliefs and worldview—particularly his hardline stance on immigration—as the reason he gained the president’s trust.
Miller grew up in a progressive Jewish family in Santa Monica, California, but displayed conservative leanings as early as high school. While attending Duke University, he served as a columnist for the campus newspaper, where he strongly criticized the university’s progressive atmosphere.
He later worked as an aide to former Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, a proponent of strict immigration policies, before joining Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
President Trump is said to have been deeply impressed not only by Miller’s immigration policy proposals but also by his ability to rally supporters at campaign rallies and his proactive defense of the president in media interviews. Last year, President Trump even remarked about Miller, “I really like watching him on TV.”
Republican figures in Washington have long viewed Miller’s statements as effectively reflecting President Trump’s views. It is reported that the two spoke almost daily even during the four years President Trump spent away from the White House following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
Indiana Republican Senator Jim Banks said, “Even before most of us had even dreamed that a second Trump term was possible, the two of them were already discussing what the policy agenda for a second term should look like.”