Susie Wiles is no longer White House chief of staff. Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s deportation policy, takes over on Monday. The change comes three days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the midterms.
Res.Publica, November 6, 2026. As of November 6, evening (European time).
President Donald Trump announced a new chief of staff on Friday on his platform Truth Social. Stephen Miller, until now deputy chief of staff, “will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote. He called Miller “one of my most trusted advisors.” Of Wiles he wrote that she “has done an outstanding job” and “will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation.”
Wiles confirmed her departure on X: “Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff.” Serving Trump in the White House had been “the honor of a lifetime,” she wrote. “While my role may be changing, my commitment to the president and the mission never will.”
Fired or resigned?
Several German outlets reported on Friday evening that Trump had “fired” Wiles. So far there is no evidence for that. According to CBS News, Wiles submitted her resignation to the president on Thursday night, a U.S. official told the network. The Associated Press describes her as stepping down without giving details. Neither Trump nor Wiles has named a reason.
The timing stands out. On Tuesday, Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. From January 3, 2027, Democrats will control the Senate and the House. No source has so far linked Wiles’ exit to the result.
Who is Stephen Miller?
Miller, 41, has worked for Trump since the 2016 campaign, when he joined as a speechwriter. He was one of Trump’s most influential advisers in the first term and became deputy chief of staff in the second. He is seen as the driving force behind the administration’s hardline immigration and deportation policy. CBS News reads his appointment as a sign that Trump is doubling down on his approach, even after voters rejected it on Tuesday.
In the White House, the chief of staff is more than an office manager. The job decides who gets in to see the president, which papers reach his desk and how the administration deals with Congress. With Democrats in charge of both chambers, that last part will matter more over the next two years.
Wiles’ record
Wiles ran Trump’s 2024 campaign and had been chief of staff since his first day back in office, the first woman in the role. According to AP, she is the longest-serving chief of staff of Trump’s presidencies. In his first term, he went through four. In March 2026, Wiles made a breast cancer diagnosis public. According to AP, she has since said she shows no evidence of the disease.
Wiles was known as the person who brought order to Trump’s inner circle without seeking the spotlight herself. She made headlines in December 2025 with a Vanity Fair interview in which she said, among other things, that Trump has “an alcoholic’s personality.” Trump backed her at the time and said she was doing a “fantastic job.”
It is not yet known what Miller’s team will look like or who will take over his current duties. We will update this article.
Sources
- AP (via Click On Detroit), November 6, 2026: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/politics/2026/11/06/susie-wiles-trumps-longest-serving-white-house-chief-of-staff-is-leaving-the-administration/
- CBS News, November 6, 2026: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-miller-trump-chief-of-staff-susie-wiles/
- NBC News, November 6, 2026: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-stephen-miller-susie-wiles-white-house-chief-of-staff-rcna607892
- ZDFheute on the Vanity Fair interview (German): https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/ausland/usa-trump-susie-wiles-vanity-fair-100.html
