President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff starting Monday, November 9, Aftenposten reported.
Wiles, who was appointed in 2024 and became the first female chief of staff in White House history, will leave the role for a position in Trump’s political operation, the president wrote on Truth Social.
Miller Steps in Monday
Trump said on Truth Social that Miller, currently deputy chief of staff, is “one of my most trusted advisers” and “will become chief of staff from Monday.” Speaking to reporters Friday evening, Trump said, “Stephen understands it. He’ll do a good job. I wanted a change,” VG reported.
Miller has been part of Trump’s inner circle since 2015 and is widely seen as the architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration policies. Earlier this year he told CNN that Greenland should be part of the United States and that he doubted anyone would challenge the U.S. militarily if it took the island by force: “No one is going to fight the USA militarily over the future of Greenland.”
Wiles Moves to the Political Operation
Trump thanked Wiles for her service, writing that she had done “a great job” as chief of staff. Wiles said on X that serving Trump “has been an honor” and that she was proud of what they had achieved together. “Although my role may be changing, my commitment to the president will never be,” she wrote, Aftenposten reported.
During Trump’s first term, four different people held the chief of staff position. Wiles had previously drawn attention in a Vanity Fair interview last year in which she described the teetotaling Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality,” called Vice President J.D. Vance a conspiracy theorist, and described Elon Musk as an “odd duck” and ketamine user. She later accused the magazine of taking her quotes out of context, VG reported.
Analysts Read the Move as Blame for Midterm Losses
"But here she is made the scapegoat for the election defeat," Mjelde said. "Trump doesn’t make mistakes, so the staff necessarily gets the blame for the election loss."
Susie Wiles is out as White House Chief of Staff. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller will replace her. This seem significant. pic.twitter.com/ByUn44ao3A
Mjelde added that the appointment “signals a bunker mentality in the White House going forward” and that Miller, as the chief architect and ideologue of the MAGA movement and the man behind Trump’s mass deportations, sits far out on the right wing of politics. Eirik Løkke, an adviser at the liberal think tank Civita, told TV 2: “That Stephen Miller now replaces Wiles is bad news. For the world and for the USA.”
Democrats Condemn the Appointment
Democratic Rep. Garcia said in a statement, reported by Dagbladet, that Miller is “the architect behind the unconstitutional ICE raids that have terrorized our local communities and kidnapped and killed American citizens and immigrant families.” He added that Democrats on the oversight committee “will continue to investigate Miller for his reprehensible conduct, and we will fight his hateful politics both in Congress and in the courts.”
Questions About the Miller Appointment
Who is Stephen Miller? Miller has advised Trump since 2015 and served as deputy chief of staff before this promotion. He is considered the main architect of the administration’s strict immigration enforcement and mass deportation policies, Aftenposten and Dagbladet reported.
Why is Susie Wiles leaving? Trump said he “wanted a change.” Analyst Hilmar Mjelde told Dagbladet that Wiles is being made the scapegoat for the administration’s midterm election losses, since “Trump doesn’t make mistakes, so the staff necessarily gets the blame.”
What happens to Wiles now? She moves to Trump’s political operation. In her statement, she said her commitment to the president and the mission “will never” change, VG reported.
When does Miller start? Monday, November 9, 2026, according to Trump’s announcement on Truth Social.
Løkke said it is difficult to see that Miller is the person Trump needs to successfully get through the next two years: “It’s bad news. For the world and for the USA.”
More on Stephen Miller
🔴 BREAKING: US President Donald Trump announces that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff on November 9, while current chief of staff Susie Wiles will move to the Trump political operation. pic.twitter.com/kqpGDJN2tB
BREAKING: Susie Wiles issues farewell statement as she prepares to leave her role as White House chief of staff after Trump names Stephen Miller as her successor. "Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime. I’m so proud to have been a part of… pic.twitter.com/LZfElt5t0t”
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