Posted by: MurrayReport
President Trump announced Friday he would make Stephen Miller, the powerful domestic policy adviser who has helped drive the administration’s immigration crackdown, his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles following sweeping Republican losses in the midterm elections.
Ms. Wiles is moving to the president’s political operation, Mr. Trump said. But her departure and the ascent of Mr. Miller will fundamentally shift the circle of advisers around Mr. Trump as the White House absorbs the shock of the midterm elections.
It also signals an aggressive doubling-down by the president, after losses of Republican majorities in the House and Senate that served as a rebuke of Mr. Trump’s handling of issues ranging from the economy to the war with Iran to tariffs to his push for a mid-decade redistricting effort.
“I wanted to make a change,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Florida. She had done a “great job,” he said. “Sometimes in life you have to make moves,” he added.
Asked what he wanted Mr. Miller to do differently than Ms. Wiles, who he had previously claimed wasn’t going anywhere, the president said, “Just run things well.”
The Republican wipeout had further inflamed tensions within the administration, with officials bracing for a slew of congressional investigations by Democrats and turnover in the West Wing and the cabinet.