Donald Trump has announced that Stephen Miller, his senior adviser and current deputy chief of staff, will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said Wiles, whom he praised for doing an “outstanding job,” would move to the Trump Political Operation. “I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!” he added.
The unexpected announcement came Friday afternoon, only days after Democrats scored a sweeping election victory that delivered a major setback to Trump and congressional Republicans.
The scale of the Democratic win was so significant that Republicans could remain shut out of the congressional majority for much of the next decade—an alarming prospect for conservatives who had urged Trump to overhaul his team.
Asked about the change Friday, Trump told reporters that he had decided “to make a change.” He described Wiles as having done a “very good job” and added: “We gotta make moves. Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
That explanation differed from the account offered by a senior White House official, who told Our News Outlet that Wiles had “gave her resignation last night.”
The conflicting descriptions have fueled questions about whether Trump initiated the transition or whether Wiles chose to leave, despite the president’s public assertion that a change was necessary.
Donald Trump has fired his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and replaced her with his top adviser Stephen Miller
Wiles said serving in the White House was an honor in a brief statement issued after Trump announced the change on Truth Social
Wiles was the first woman in US history to serve as White House chief of staff
Trump said Miller had “been with me from the beginning,” describing him as “very good politically” and predicting that he “will do a great job.”
Wiles shared her farewell message on X shortly after Trump made his announcement.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” she wrote Friday. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First. More than anything, I’m grateful for the extraordinary people I’ve had the privilege of working alongside.”
Her exit follows a report by Our News Outlet in June that she was preparing to leave the position after the midterm elections.
Although Wiles rejected that report at the time, she departed only days after the election results were announced.
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Wiles was the longest-serving Republican White House chief of staff and had been part of Trump’s political circle since his 2016 campaign.
The 69-year-old was also the only person to serve as chief of staff throughout Trump’s second term. During his first presidency, Trump went through four chiefs of staff.
Stephen Miller will begin his first day as White House chief of staff on Monday
“Patriots in control,” Hegseth wrote on X minutes after Wiles announced her resignation. He did not mention Wiles, instead using his posts to congratulate Stephen Miller
The Florida political strategist was initially praised for bringing a calm, disciplined presence to the often-chaotic West Wing and for managing Trump’s famously unpredictable style. The president and his aides soon began calling her the “ICE Queen.”
But as controversies mounted—including Elon Musk’s aggressive effort to reduce government spending and the administration’s handling of the Iran war—Wiles increasingly became a public figure herself.
In a Vanity Fair interview late last year, Wiles delivered sharp assessments of several of the most influential figures in Trump’s Cabinet.
She said Trump had “an alcoholic’s personality,” described Vice President JD Vance as having been “a conspiracy theorist for a decade,” and claimed former Attorney General Pam Bondi had “whiffed” on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
“Very grateful to Susie for her friendship and service to the president and our country,” Vance wrote Friday. “Stephen Miller is an amazing patriot and will do great things. Congrats to him on a well deserved promotion!”
As recently as September, a source said, Wiles had been telling people directly that Republicans were on course to win the midterm elections.
Following the Republicans’ disastrous midterm performance, however, insiders told Our News Outlet that Trump was searching for someone to hold responsible.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” Wiles wrote Friday on X. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime”
Insiders also said Trump had been contacting advisers about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his performance, leading some to speculate that the Pentagon chief could be facing removal.
With Wiles gone and Miller taking over, however, Hegseth appears likely to remain in place for now because of his close ties to Trump’s longtime senior adviser.
“Patriots in control,” Hegseth wrote on X just minutes after Wiles announced her resignation.
In a second post, the secretary of war wrote: “Huge CONGRATS to [Miller]— a true patriot and America First fighter. He never backs down — and the [Department of War] is right there with him.” Hegseth did not mention Wiles in either message.
