President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller, one of his hardest-line immigration advisers, will become White House chief of staff, according to EL PAÍS. Miller takes over from Susie Wiles, and the change is set to take effect on Monday.
Trump described Miller as "one of my most trusted advisers" and thanked Wiles for what he called her excellent work, EL PAÍS reported. He said Wiles will move into the Trump Political Operation. The announcement came as the president's party absorbed a decisive Republican defeat in the midterm elections.
Why it matters
The switch puts a principal architect of Trump's immigration agenda at the center of the White House staff, a signal that the president intends to sharpen rather than soften his approach in the remaining stretch of his term. EL PAÍS characterized the move as an apparent turn toward even harder positions following the midterm results.
The timing also matters because Democrats are poised to hold congressional majorities in the new term. That combination — a more aggressive White House and an opposition-controlled Congress — sets up immediate conflict over immigration enforcement and oversight.
A decade of influence, and a promotion
Miller, who is about 40, has spent roughly ten years building Trump's trust, according to EL PAÍS. The outlet describes him as the president's chief ideologue, his domestic policy adviser and the author of some of his toughest initiatives, including a strategy of mass deportations pursued at any cost.
His nationalist views align closely with Trump's worldview as EL PAÍS describes it: a United States that sets terms through deals with friendly countries and pressure on recalcitrant governments, while other nations are left to follow Washington's direction.
Speculation about a change at the top of the staff circulated in October, when Miller and Bill Pulte — another close Trump ally who heads the agency overseeing the government-backed mortgage giants — were both mentioned, EL PAÍS reported.
Wiles confirmed her departure on X shortly after it was reported. According to Univision, as cited in the source reporting, she wrote that serving Trump in the White House had been the honor of her life and said she was proud of what had been achieved together on securing the border, cutting taxes and putting "America first."
Democrats promise a fight and investigations
Reaction from Democrats was swift. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York wrote that Democratic majorities will confront Miller at every turn, calling him the architect of the administration's most inhumane and barbaric policies, according to EL PAÍS.
Representative Robert García, the Democrat expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, said he plans to investigate Miller. In a statement cited by The New York Times and reported by EL PAÍS, García said that just days after Americans rejected what he called a corrupt and lawless presidency, Trump was doubling down. He described Miller as the architect of ICE raids that he said have terrorized communities and harmed U.S. citizens and migrant families.
Other fallout from the midterms
The chief of staff announcement came amid broader post-election maneuvering reported by EL PAÍS.
In Ohio, Governor-elect Amy Acton, a Democrat, told CBS she does not intend to speak with her former Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy. She criticized a late-campaign ad that raised doubts about the sexual abuse she survived as a child, calling it despicable and saying leaders' words matter and people must be held accountable. The ad, which featured Acton's mother — from whom she has been estranged since near adolescence — saying her daughter lied about the abuse, drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, according to the outlet.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also under pressure. Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky plans to renew his push for impeachment next week, having filed articles in September over hostilities with Iran conducted for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, EL PAÍS reported. Representative James Comer of Kentucky told NewsNation that many questions surround Hegseth and that nobody is happy about Iran, adding that Republican voters appear more upset about it than Democratic ones. Massie, a Trump critic, said the impeachment resolution is a far milder version of what will come once Democrats control Congress.
What to watch: Miller formally takes over Monday, and the first test of the new arrangement will be how the White House and the incoming Democratic majorities handle immigration enforcement and the promised Oversight Committee inquiry.
