Donald Trump appoints Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff

Donald Trump has made a major shakeup in his inner circle by elevating Stephen Miller, his longtime political adviser and hardline operative, to serve as the new White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.

The chief of staff position is one of the most powerful roles in Washington, D.C., acting as the gatekeeper to the president, setting the White House agenda, and leading negotiations with Congress and outside political interests. Elevating Miller strongly suggests that the US president is bracing for intense political battles rather than seeking an olive branch approach.

Miller is best known as the driving force behind the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement policies, which involved scaling up funding for operations across the United States. Reports also indicate he played a leading role in US military operations in Venezuela and anti-drug trafficking efforts in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Miller joined Trump's political orbit early during the 2016 presidential campaign as a strategist and fiery warm-up speaker at rallies. He remained a loyal senior staffer throughout Trump's entire first term and stood by him following the 2020 election disputes, eventually returning as deputy chief of staff for policy in the second term.