WASHINGTON — The gloves are off, and President Trump is turning to one of his most combative allies for the fight ahead.
Following Tuesday’s blue tsunami, Trump tapped his longtime adviser Stephen Miller as chief of staff, signaling preparations for an all-out confrontation with Democrats and a newly hostile Capitol Hill.
At 41, Miller is the architect of Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda and is expected to serve as the administration’s chief defender as Democrats in the House and Senate launch sweeping investigations.
“The mission now is more clear than ever: Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic,” Miller said Friday.
Miller’s promotion was widely interpreted as a decision to double down on Trump’s America First platform while preparing for the legal and political battles Democrats have promised to pursue.
“I don’t think there could be any choice that sends a better message to our fractured base than Miller,” said a source close to the White House.
“He understands our coalition and is the choice best equipped to help rebuild it as we spend the next two years in a constant war with the Democrat-controlled Congress.”
Miller succeeds Susie Wiles, who stepped down Friday after Republicans suffered a devastating defeat in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Since Trump returned to the White House, Miller has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. During Trump’s first term, he was a senior adviser and one of the president’s leading speechwriters.
“Many people know Stephen for his fierce loyalty to the president, but more than that, he is the administration’s most organized and competent operator,” said Taylor Budowich, a former deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel who worked with Miller in the West Wing.
“He has built and managed one of the most effective policy teams in American history. He was born to be Donald Trump’s chief of staff.”
Miller also received a wave of support from prominent administration officials. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote: “Next to me, Stephen Miller is the strongest MAHA supporter in the administration. It’s time to unleash the Kraken.”
Yet Miller’s appointment, a stark contrast to Wiles’ more restrained style, immediately drew criticism from Democrats and concern among some Republicans.
“Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands,” top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) tweeted.
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“His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor. Fire him today.”
Miller has held a wide-ranging portfolio during Trump’s second term, but he is best known for advocating accelerated deportations of illegal immigrants — a policy Trump promised during his 2024 comeback campaign.
While polling in 2024 showed that most Hispanic voters supported mass deportations in principle and backed Trump in large numbers, anecdotal deportation cases sparked a backlash. Republicans lost Hispanic support in the midterms, undermining hopes of a durable realignment.
“Miller as COS? Full Gestapo it is,” said a prominent Republican consultant, who described Miller, who is Jewish, as a “good guy” but warned that he would bring an “iron fist” to management and policy.
“Hispanic voters were already heading for the exits,” the consultant added. “Nice of us to hold the door.”
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), who will serve next year in the sharply diminished Republican caucus, called for Miller to be dismissed and told Semafor that his promotion was a “horrible decision.”
Some Republican criticism was predictable.
When asked in September how Republicans could win back Hispanic voters, Latinas for Trump founder Ileana Garcia, a Florida state senator, told The Post: “Fire Stephen Miller!”
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), who leads in vote tabulations for re-election, recorded a campaign video outside the White House criticizing the deportations. She urged Trump to “be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy; The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed.”
Trump has periodically softened his immigration policies, including in 2018, when he introduced and later abandoned a Miller-backed “zero tolerance” policy that separated families crossing the border illegally.
Supporters of the current immigration crackdown argue that it has helped American workers by contributing to wage gains since Trump returned to power.
Katie Zacharia, who served for five days as White House press secretary last month, celebrated Miller’s elevation.
“Time to ramp up the deportations,” she tweeted.
“Patriots in control,” added Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
