WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump named Stephen Miller his next White House chief of staff on Friday, one House Republican called the decision “horrible.” Inside the White House, an official offered a different view. Miller, the official said, “is probably the best possible person to help rebuild our fractured coalition.”
The reactions capture a divide inside Trump’s own movement over what to do after Republicans lost control of Congress on Tuesday. Trump’s decision to elevate Miller, a longtime adviser and architect of his immigration agenda, signals that the president is looking to his MAGA base as he enters his final two years in office. It also gives one of the administration’s most prominent immigration hard-liners more influence at a moment when Americans have made their displeasure known with how that agenda has been carried out.
A White House aide told FWRD AXIS News that Trump grew angrier as he watched the results on cable news as Democratic victories piled up on Tuesday night. The aide said Trump blamed the party’s election strategy for the losses and held Susie Wiles, his outgoing chief of staff, partly responsible.
Trump publicly praised Wiles on Friday, saying she had done “an outstanding job” and would move to his political operation. He told reporters that Miller, who is set to take over Monday, had been with him from the beginning and praised his political judgment.
In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Trump signaled that more personnel changes could follow.
“I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who,” Trump said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces impeachment calls from members of both parties, publicly welcomed Miller’s appointment. His statement congratulated Miller without mentioning Wiles.
Immigration enforcement is an early test of the political judgment Trump praised. Last year, Miller directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to make 3,000 immigration arrests a day, a target the agency struggled to meet. About six in 10 midterm voters said the administration’s immigration enforcement had gone too far, according to the AP Voter Poll.
Miller will also face scrutiny from the incoming Democratic majority. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and its expected next chair, made clear Friday that Miller’s role in immigration enforcement would be a focus.
“Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” Garcia said.
