President Donald Trump has named Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, according to Corriere della Sera. The announcement came in the days following midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, taking seats in districts long held by Republicans, the outlet reported.
Wiles confirmed her departure in a post on X, describing her time serving Trump as the honor of her life. She pointed to work on border security, tax cuts, economic policy and the "America First" agenda as achievements of her tenure, and said her last day in the role had arrived. Wiles added that while her position may change, her commitment to the president and the administration's goals would not.
Vice President JD Vance praised Wiles for her friendship and service, and called Miller a committed patriot who would do well in the job, Corriere della Sera reported. Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House, said Miller had been with him from the start, described him as politically skilled and called him a capable manager.
Why it matters
The chief of staff role is the senior coordinating position in the White House, managing staff, access to the president and the flow of policy decisions. Handing it to Miller, a long-serving adviser known for hardline immigration positions, signals that Trump intends to press ahead with his core agenda despite the midterm setbacks. It also sets up an immediate confrontation with Democratic leaders who will hold the levers of congressional oversight in the next Congress.
Democrats promise to fight the appointment
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he would oppose Miller's appointment forcefully, writing on X that Miller had shaped what Schumer called the administration's most cruel and inhumane policies and that Trump could not have made a worse choice. Schumer said Democratic majorities would resist him at every turn.
Hakeem Jeffries, who will serve as House speaker in the next Congress, said in a social media post that Miller should be removed from the administration. Jeffries called him a dangerous xenophobe and a reckless extremist, using language that went well beyond ordinary political criticism.
Representative Robert Garcia, a Democratic member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued a statement calling Miller the architect of federal immigration enforcement operations. Garcia accused him of promoting unconstitutional raids that frightened communities, and said the committee's Democrats would keep investigating Miller over alleged misconduct while opposing his policies in Congress and in the courts. Garcia closed by advising Miller to find a lawyer.
Justice Department departures add to the turmoil
The staffing change came alongside a series of exits at the Justice Department. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that John Eisenberg, who led the national security division, had resigned, following the earlier departure of Jason Reding Quinones. Henry Whitaker, a Blanche adviser who represented the department in several major cases, has said he intends to leave the administration soon.
Corriere della Sera noted that a wave of resignations after midterms is not unprecedented for an administration, but the speed of the successive announcements at the Justice Department has so far made it an exception among federal agencies.
Trump on the economy and the election result
Trump acknowledged that the midterms had not gone as his side had hoped, according to RaiNews, while presenting the economy as strong. He pointed to labor market figures that came in well above forecasts, and attributed a decline on Wall Street the previous day to the vote.
Voting was still being counted in Alaska and Mississippi, with Corriere della Sera describing the contests there as close.
A split result in Washington State
In one notable state-level result, voters in Washington approved a measure barring transgender athletes from competing on girls' sports teams, Corriere della Sera reported. With about 80 percent of ballots counted, roughly 57 percent backed the measure and 43 percent opposed it, and opponents conceded.
The initiative requires girls who want to play sports to undergo a physical examination of reproductive organs, or genetic and hormonal testing. Opponents, including some physicians, argued the measure is not supported by clinical guidelines and would cause unnecessary stress and harm to young girls.
The result stands out in a state that usually votes Democratic, and contrasts with the broader Republican disappointment in the November 3 midterms. More than half of US states have adopted laws restricting transgender students' participation in sports in recent years, and in June the Supreme Court upheld such state bans. The Washington measure was described as the most far-reaching of four similar proposals approved this week, alongside those in Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado.
What to watch
Attention now turns to how quickly Miller reshapes White House operations, whether further departures follow at the Justice Department, and how aggressively House Democrats pursue investigations once the new Congress is seated.
