President Donald Trump on Friday announced White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller will be promoted to chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.
Trump revealed the stunning shake-up just three days after Democrats won a landslide victory in the midterm elections, gaining majority control in the House and Senate and scrambling the trajectory of Trump’s last two years in office.
Elevating Miller, an architect of Trump’s controversial mass-deportation efforts, is bound to raise the hackles of the incoming class of congressional Democrats, who have already vowed to investigate the government’s immigration policies.
Miller will take over starting Monday, Trump said in a Truth Social post, praising his longtime aide as “one of my most trusted advisors.”
Wiles, “who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation,” the president wrote.
Asked about the move later Friday afternoon, Trump said, “I wanted to make a change.”
(L-R) White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Political advisor Stephen Miller attend a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and U.S. President Donald Trump in conjunction with the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images
“I think Susie’s done a very good job, great job. But I just wanted to make it,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for an event in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“Stephen’s been great,” Trump said, adding, “Sometimes in life you have to make moves.”
Wiles resigned Thursday night, a senior White House source told MS NOW. Wiles told Trump, who was said to be angry with her following the GOP’s huge election losses, “let me make this easy on you – I am going to resign,” MS NOW reported.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” Wiles said in an X post Friday afternoon. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime.”
“While my role may be changing, my commitment to the President and the mission never will,” she wrote.
The official X account for Trump’s political operation celebrated the announcement by posting a black-and-white photo of Miller under the caption, “It’s Miller time.”
The White House reshuffle follows multiple resignations of senior staff in the Department of Justice since Election Day. They include Civil Harmeet Dhillon, a leader in the DOJ’s civil rights division, John Eisenberg, who headed the national security division, and Jason Reding Quiñones, who had been in charge of conspiracy investigations related to Trump’s foes.
Wiles oversaw Trump’s winning 2024 presidential campaign and has wielded major influence in his second administration, while largely staying out of the spotlight. She drew focus in late 2025, when Vanity Fair reported that Wiles admitted that Trump had pursued “retribution” as president and that he had an “alcoholic’s personality.”
Trump, and many other top administration officials, defended Wiles at the time, underscoring her status in the White House.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
