Washington — Trump Names Stephen Miller Chief of Staff

President Trump named Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff on Friday, elevating the architect of his immigration crackdown to the administration's top staff position, according to The Guardian's live coverage. Miller succeeds Susie Wiles.

Who is Stephen Miller and what changes with his promotion?

Miller has served as a senior Trump adviser and the chief designer of the administration's immigration policy. His move to chief of staff places him at the center of day-to-day White House operations. The announcement came as results from the 2026 midterm elections showed Republican losses in House and Senate races, the Guardian reported.

The White House, per the Guardian, produced a taxpayer-funded advertisement promoting Miller's new role and described him as Trump's "wartime consigliere."

How did Democrats respond to the appointment?

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, positioned to become the next House speaker, called for Miller to be "fired," the Guardian reported. A top Democrat on a House oversight committee said Miller should "lawyer up," according to the live blog. Even an Indiana Republican congressman reportedly called the decision "a horrible decision," the Guardian said, citing the lawmaker's comments on the promotion.

What did Trump and his allies say in defense of Miller?

Miller, addressing the midterm losses, said Trump "has single-handedly saved America from those who would destroy it," according to the Guardian's live coverage.

"The honor of a lifetime."

That is how outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles described her departure, per the Guardian. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both welcomed Miller's promotion, the outlet reported. A former adviser to the health secretary said Wiles had taken a "stranglehold on policy decisions" during her tenure, according to the same coverage.

How does this fit into the broader midterm fallout?

The chief of staff shake-up landed alongside a string of Democratic wins tracked in the Guardian's live blog. Progressive Democrat Aisha Wahab won a full term representing California's 14th congressional district. In South Carolina, Democrat Nancy Lacore won the House seat previously held by Republican Nancy Mace. In Texas, the Houston mayor said police officers would limit cooperation with ICE following what the Guardian described as historic Democratic wins in the state. Trump, for his part, expressed satisfaction at a stock market plunge that followed the Republican losses and deflected blame from himself, the live blog said.

Separately, Senator Chris Murphy was discharged from the hospital after a stroke, with a doctor saying he expects a full recovery, according to the Guardian's reporting.

What's next for Susie Wiles and the White House staff?

Wiles' exit and Miller's arrival mark the first chief of staff change of Trump's second term, according to the Guardian's live blog. The outlet's coverage, which ran through Friday evening, did not report a specific start date for Miller's new duties or detail further staff moves. Democratic leaders signaled they intend to press the issue when the new Congress convenes, per the live blog's running account of the day's events.

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