Who is Stephen Miller, Trump’s new Chief of Staff?

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (November 6, 2026) named Stephen Miller, architect of his hardline immigration policy, as his new Chief of Staff, signaling a bare-knuckle fightback after Republicans were hammered in the midterms.Ultra-loyalist Miller, 41, will replace Susie Wiles, who becomes the first major White House casualty from the Democratic landslide earlier this week. In a post on Truth Social announcing Mr. Miller’s appointment, Mr. Trump described him as “one of my most trusted advisors”.Who is Stephen MillerStephen Miller, a key member of Mr. Trump’s inner circle, is a prominent architect of the administration’s hardline immigration policies. Known for his sharp suits and sunglasses, Miller has been one of Mr. Trump’s closest aides for decades and longest-serving advisers, pushing nativist policies that gelled with the President’s “America First” agenda.Mr. Miller currently serves as White House Deputy Chief of Staff and though he has a wide-ranging portfolio, he is most closely aligned with the President’s immigration policy and rhetoric on immigration. He is also a former aide to hardliner former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who would go on to serve as Mr. Trump’s first Attorney General.Early years, part of Trump’s campaignMr. Miller was raised in politically liberal Santa Monica, California, but developed a reputation as a combative conservative as a columnist at Duke University’s student newspaper. ⁠As a congressional aide in the 2010s, he was an early advocate for restricting immigration at a time when that was not a mainstream position in the Republican Party.He joined Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, then served ‌as an advisor and speechwriter in his first 2017-2021 term. After Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election, Mr. Miller founded the conservative advocacy group America First Legal, filing complaints that accused companies ‌such as Nike of discriminating against white people.His wife, Katie Miller, is a conservative podcaster and former ⁠communications aide in Mr. Trump’s first administration.Immigration crackdownAs Mr. Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff for policy and homeland security advisor, he was the brains behind the mass deportation programme that defined the first year of the President’s second term.Mr. Miller is best known for driving the immigration crackdown, setting a target of 3,000 arrests per day — far above levels under previous administrations. He has pushed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to target anybody in the country illegally, ‌not just those with criminal records.But he faced widespread criticism after the deadly shootings of two protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis in January — incidents that sparked mass demonstrations.Also read: Killer agents: on immigration enforcement, Minnesota shootingsBeyond enforcement, Mr. Miller has been a vocal advocate for ending birthright citizenship, and denounced the ⁠Supreme Court’s ruling that rejected that proposal as “one of the most destructive and outrageous decisions” in the court’s history.Mr. Miller announced a ban on “birth tourism” after that ruling, seeking to prevent people from coming to the ‌United States to deliver babies.He also has been a prominent voice on many of the President’s other priorities, including countering diversity initiatives and targeting transgender rights. He is one of a small group of White House staffers who approve all executive orders, a person familiar with the matter said last year, as per a Reuters report.Mr. Miller has echoed Mr. Trump’s rhetoric on the war with Iran, saying in the early weeks of the conflict that US and Israeli strikes had wiped out Tehran’s leadership class and military capacity. Later, ‌he touted a ceasefire and said on Fox News in July that some Iranian officials are “desperate” to strike a peace deal.Mr. Miller has advocated for an aggressive foreign policy in other arenas as well. He declined to rule out military action to acquire Greenland in January and said the U.S. ⁠was “running Venezuela” after the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro in January.Why was Wiles replaced“I wanted to make a change,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House when asked why he named Mr. Miller to replace Ms. Wiles.“Sometimes in life you have to make moves.”Mr. Trump’s move was particularly startling as he had repeatedly insisted before the midterms that there was “zero chance” of replacing Ms. Wiles.But naming the combative Miller was the clearest possible signal from Mr. Trump that the gloves are now off after his brief conciliatory gestures to Democrats in the wake of the Republican midterms collapse.Also read: Trump debacle: On the U.S. midterm election resultsReactions to Miller’s appointmentMajor figures in Mr. Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement — reeling since the midterms — hailed Mr. Miller’s appointment.“It’s Miller Time,” posted right-wing journalist Jack Posobiec, referring to a famous slogan for an American beer brand.White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Mr. Miller was a “Trump OG, someone who has been with the President since the very beginning.”On the other hand, Democrats pledged they would fight “every step of the way” against Mr. Miller, who became synonymous with scenes of masked immigration agents committing violence after he backed federal agents who shot and killed two Americans.“Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn’t have made a worse choice,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X.(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)