President Donald Trump announced that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller will become his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, triggering immediate and pointed criticism from Democratic lawmakers.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the change takes effect Monday, November 9, 2026. “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. He added that Wiles “has done an outstanding job” and will move to the Trump Political Operation, thanking her for her service as chief of staff.
The appointment drew sharp reaction from several prominent Democrats, who criticized Miller over his role shaping the administration’s immigration enforcement policies, including ICE operations.
Governors and lawmakers react
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that Trump had “promoted one of the most vile thugs to ever slither into the Oval Office,” calling it “an insult to every American who voted for change on Tuesday” and saying Miller “cooked up the sadistic mass deportation regime that ripped families and trampled basic civil rights.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said in a statement shared by Punchbowl News congressional reporter Max Cohen that “Stephen Miller is the architect of the unconstitutional ICE raids that have terrorized our communities and kidnapped and killed American citizens and immigrant families.” Garcia added that “Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate Miller for his misconduct, and we will fight against his hateful policies in Congress and the courts,” and said Miller “should lawyer up.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) wrote that Miller is “the architect of Trump’s rogue immigration policy” and called the appointment “an act of vengeance against the millions of Latinos who came out to call for abolishing ICE,” adding that “House Democrats will hold him accountable” regardless of what position Miller holds.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said the move was “a giant middle finger to every single voter who came out to the polls and demanded a change from the corruption and cruelty of the last two years.” She linked Miller to Project 2025 and said his agenda included “the mass deportation agenda that led to ICE and CBP killing people in the streets, separating families, locking up kids and gutting the legal immigration system.”
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) called Miller “a white supremacist” and said “promoting the guy responsible for ICE detaining our neighbors and killing people in the streets is Trump doubling down on cruelty and corruption.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) described Miller as “the brains behind the most depraved immigration policies we’ve seen in generations” and said he should “get ready to testify and answer for the chaos he unleashed.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said “Trump learned nothing from his historic defeat” and called Miller “the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration,” pledging that Democratic majorities “will fight him every step of the way.”
The criticism followed Trump’s announcement and reflects ongoing Democratic opposition to the administration’s immigration enforcement record, including its handling of ICE operations.
