Trump Swaps Wiles for Miller as White House Chief of Staff
The change arrives days after Republicans lost control of Congress, ending the tenure of the first woman to hold the position.
By Jonathan Reed ·
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Stephen Miller is replacing Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. The decision comes just days after the Republican Party lost its majority in Congress during the midterm elections.
Miller, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff, joins the top post from within the administration's inner circle. He was a speechwriter on Trump's 2016 campaign and later worked for former Senator Jeff Sessions. The White House describes Miller as the primary architect of the administration's strict immigration policies.
Wiles, 69, becomes the fifth person to hold the chief of staff title during Trump's two terms. She was the first woman to serve in the role and the longest-serving in that position. Trump said on his social media platform that Wiles would continue working for his political organization.
In a social media post following the announcement, Wiles called her time in the White House "the honor of a lifetime." She cited border security, tax cuts, and economic strengthening as shared accomplishments. She stated that her commitment to the president and the mission would not change.
Wiles joined Trump's team during his 2016 bid to manage operations in Florida, a state she calls her adopted home. She repeated that role in 2020 and oversaw the entire 50-state campaign in 2024. Trump has previously described her 2024 effort as his best-run campaign, a label she accepted without formal title.
Her tenure included a personal health battle that she made public in March 2026. Wiles disclosed a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer and underwent surgery and treatment while working. She reported in September 2026 that she was cancer-free after pathology results came back clear. In an October interview, she credited a doctor for insisting she take a mammogram earlier than scheduled, noting that early detection was essential.
The change follows a series of candid remarks by Wiles in December 2025. In interviews conducted for a Vanity Fair piece, she described Trump as having an "alcoholic's personality" and suggested that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi mishandled the Jeffrey Epstein files. Trump and other aides defended Wiles after the publication, and she later criticized the magazine for framing the story unfairly.
