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Shortly after the Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat in this week's midterm elections, President Donald Trump said he was willing to cooperate with the Democratic Party, which has a new majority in Congress.
However, on the 6th, President Trump appointed Stephen Miller, his closest aide and hard-line political strategist, as White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wiles' successor.
Rather than extending a hand of reconciliation to Congress, this can be interpreted as a sign that the president is preparing for a political battle by appointing a hard-core loyalist to the White House chief executive position.
“Now our mission is clearer than ever: to support the President with our whole soul and defend this great republic,” Miller said in a post on social media. “I am honored beyond words to be nominated for this position.”
The White House Chief of Staff is considered one of the most influential positions in Washington. It serves as a gateway to control access to the President, coordinates the White House agenda, and oversees negotiations with Congress and external political forces.
“Stephen Miller has been with me from the beginning,” Trump told reporters after announcing the selection through his social media platform TruthSocial. “He knows what it takes.”
Miller is well known as a key figure who led the Trump administration's hardline immigration enforcement policies, including significantly increasing the budget for immigration enforcement operations across the United States.
He sparked controversy by calling Alex Preti, who was killed by federal immigration agents during a mass deportation operation in Minneapolis, a "domestic terrorist" and a "murderer." He later walked back those comments and said federal agents "may not have followed proper procedures."
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It is also known to have played a leading role in U.S. military operations in Venezuela and military operations targeting drug trafficking organizations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific regions. Critics have condemned these operations as extrajudicial killings.
Miller joined Trump's 2016 presidential campaign early in the campaign and served as a strategist and campaign rally speaker.
He was one of the few senior staffers who stayed in the White House during his first term. He remained loyal to Trump even after his failed attempt to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, and returned as deputy chief of staff for policy in Trump's second term.
Wiles, who co-directed the 2024 re-election campaign, was evaluated as a cool-headed professional bureaucrat who avoided personnel confusion, policy reversals, and conflicts between staff that were frequent during Trump's first term.
However, in recent months, President Trump is said to have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Wiles. In particular, there is an analysis that this trend has become stronger as his political position has weakened and ultimately led to a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. Reports that Wiles' associates were using their connections with the president to win high-paying consulting contracts also reportedly made Trump uncomfortable.
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Miller's hard-line stance portends conflict with Congress
President Trump praised Miller's management skills, but the process of working with Congress may not be easy.
Miller is a person who is strongly disliked not only by most Democratic lawmakers but also by some Republicans.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote to
Earlier this year, Miller caused controversy by posting that James Talarico, who won the Democratic nomination for the Texas Senate, was the "Democratic Party's first transgender Senate candidate."
The Democratic Party issued a short, harsh and profanity-laced response, telling Miller to keep his mouth shut.
Miller is now in the position of having to negotiate with the Senate, which is dominated by new Democratic Party members, including the newly elected Talarico. A poll conducted during this election found that 58% of voters said the administration's immigration enforcement policies had gone "too far," and that Hispanic voters also turned their backs on Republican candidates.
Vice President JD Vance, who is considered Trump's likely successor, wrote in a social media post trying to explain the reasons for the Republican Party's midterm election defeat, "I am also open to the idea of changing enforcement policies to focus more on companies that hire illegal workers."
However, with Miller, a symbol of hard-line immigration policies, becoming White House Chief of Staff, the possibility of changing this course seems low.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who is scheduled to retire at the end of this year, has been one of Miller's fiercest critics.
He called Miller “incompetent” and “the architect of some of the most foolish policies to come out of the Trump White House.”
On the other hand, some Republican figures expressed their welcome.
Utah Senator Mike Lee said in an article posted on
While the Democratic Party, which won the majority in Congress, announced that it would strengthen various investigations and oversight of the Trump administration, President Trump appears to have chosen a 'warrior' and a 'fighter' as the person to run the White House.
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*This article used artificial intelligence (AI) in the process of translating the original English text and was verified by a BBC reporter before publication. Click to learn more about the BBC's AI use policy.
