Stephen Miller Takes Office as White House Chief of Staff After Midterm Rout
Stephen Miller, the architect of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program, takes over as White House chief of staff on Monday, November 9, 2026, in the first major personnel shake-up since Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in last week’s midterm elections. The 41-year-old replaces Susie Wiles, the veteran operative who ran Trump’s 2024 campaign and served as his chief of staff since January 2025.
In short: Stephen Miller becomes the 33rd White House chief of staff on Monday, November 9, 2026, after President Trump announced the move on Truth Social on Friday, November 6. Outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles, 69, is moving to Trump’s political operation, and deputy chief of staff Richard Walters has already resigned in the first departure of the shake-up.
Trump Announces the Change on Truth Social
Trump announced the appointment on Friday, November 6, three days after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections held on Tuesday, November 3. “I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote. He added that Wiles, “who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation.”
Miller has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and as the president’s homeland security adviser throughout Trump’s second term. He has been at Trump’s side since the 2016 campaign and is widely described, including by CBS News, as the architect of the administration’s immigration enforcement and deportation program — the policy area that dominated the midterm campaign and, by Trump’s own admission in his 60 Minutes interview, may have cost Republicans votes.
Wiles Steps Aside After 21 Months
Wiles, 69, submitted her resignation on Thursday evening, November 5, and Friday, November 6, was her last day in the West Wing. The Jacksonville-area operative managed Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign before taking the chief of staff post at the start of his second term in January 2025. She was widely credited with bringing discipline to a White House that had churned through four chiefs of staff in Trump’s first term.
Her 21-month tenure also included a personal health battle: Wiles was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in March 2026 and announced in September that she was cancer-free after treatment. Trump did not specify her new title or responsibilities in the political operation. The White House separately confirmed Miller’s appointment as the 33rd chief of staff and released endorsements from Cabinet members, Republican lawmakers and conservative allies.
First Departure: Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Walters Resigns
The first major departure under the shake-up came before Miller even takes office. Deputy chief of staff Richard Walters submitted his resignation on Friday, November 6, according to Axios, which first reported the exit on Sunday. Walters was one of Wiles’ closest political lieutenants, with a working relationship stretching back more than a decade, and had served in the White House since May 2026 after running Trump’s 2025 inaugural committee and serving as chief of staff at the Republican National Committee.
“Serving President Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and I will always be thankful to Susie Wiles for the opportunity,” Walters told Axios in a statement. Miller praised him as “an invaluable member of the White House” who “will continue to help from the outside.” The departure was described as amicable, but WIRED reported on Friday that Walters and James Blair, Wiles’ other deputy, were both seen as vulnerable to being pushed out by Miller unless they resigned first — and White House aides are bracing for further departures. No successor has been named for Miller’s deputy chief of staff or homeland security adviser roles.
Farm and Construction Leaders Criticize the Promotion
The promotion drew swift criticism from industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. Leaders of agriculture and construction groups reacted on Friday, days after Republicans lost heavily in the midterms, blaming Miller’s deportation push for labor shortages and for the election losses themselves.
Chris Herr, president of the PennAg Industries Association, which represents farmers and pork and poultry producers, said his first thought on hearing the news was: “Thank goodness he was let go” — only to learn Miller had been promoted, not fired. Many of his members supported Trump in 2024 but have grown dissatisfied as immigration enforcement stripped workers from farms, he said. Mario Guerrero, a three-time Trump supporter who heads the South Texas Builders Association, was blunter: “The reason the GOP lost across the board [on Tuesday] is because of the enforcement that Stephen Miller was pushing.”
The complaints are backed by numbers. About 66 percent of America’s farmworkers are foreign-born, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 42 percent of hired crop workers in 2020–2022 held no work authorization. Last month, more than 40 farmers and agricultural industry groups wrote to Trump and congressional leaders warning that the immigration crackdown was affecting the country’s food supply, hurting farmers and potentially driving up grocery prices.
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What Miller’s Promotion Signals
The appointment is being read in Washington as a sign that Trump intends to press ahead with his most contested policies — above all the immigration crackdown — during his final two years in office, even after voters delivered a rebuke. That reading sits awkwardly alongside Trump’s own remarks in his 60 Minutes interview, taped Friday and aired Sunday, in which he conceded his deportation policy “might be too tough” and said it had hurt Republicans in the midterms.
Democrats, who take control of Congress in January, have already signaled that Miller will be a focus of their oversight agenda. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has called Miller “a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist,” and Democrats have said they expect Miller to be called to testify before House committees. The chief of staff controls access to the president, the flow of paper to his desk and the daily operation of the West Wing — making Miller’s first weeks a test of whether the administration doubles down on the deportation agenda or adjusts it after the midterm verdict.
For now, the White House has not announced who will fill Miller’s old deputy role or the homeland security adviser post, and it is not clear whether Wiles’s other deputies will remain under Miller. More departures are expected in the coming days.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Stephen Miller take office as White House chief of staff?
Stephen Miller takes office as White House chief of staff on Monday, November 9, 2026. President Trump announced the appointment on Friday, November 6, 2026, on Truth Social.
Who is Stephen Miller replacing as chief of staff?
Miller replaces Susie Wiles, 69, who ran Trump’s 2024 campaign and served as chief of staff since January 2025. Wiles resigned on Thursday, November 5, and is moving to Trump’s political operation.
What was Stephen Miller’s role before this promotion?
Miller was deputy chief of staff for policy and the president’s homeland security adviser. He has worked for Trump since the 2016 campaign and is widely described as the architect of the administration’s mass deportation and immigration enforcement program.
Why did Richard Walters resign?
Deputy chief of staff Richard Walters submitted his resignation on Friday, November 6, the same day Miller’s promotion was announced. Walters was one of outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles’ closest allies for more than a decade. The exit was described as amicable, and Miller said Walters would keep helping the administration from outside the White House.
Why are farm and construction groups criticizing Miller’s promotion?
Agriculture and construction leaders say Miller’s deportation push has caused labor shortages on farms and building sites. About 66 percent of U.S. farmworkers are foreign-born, and more than 40 farm groups warned last month that the crackdown was hitting the food supply and could raise grocery prices.
What does the chief of staff actually do?
The White House chief of staff controls access to the president, manages the flow of documents to the Oval Office, coordinates the president’s schedule and oversees the daily operation of the West Wing. Miller is the 33rd person to hold the job.
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