Trump Loses Congress, Wiles Loses Her Job: Now Stephen Miller Gets the Keys to the White House

Susie Wiles brought Donald Trump back to the White House. For weeks, there had already been speculation that Wiles was on her way out. Now she's being shown the door. On November 6, 2026, 3 days after the Republicans' devastating defeat in the congressional elections, the president announced that she was being replaced as White House chief of staff. Her successor will be Stephen Miller, the man behind the mass deportations and a political agenda in which contempt for judicial limits has long since become standard practice. Wiles would be moving to Trump's political operation, the president announced. She had done an outstanding job. Quite a tribute to a woman who's being forced to clear out her desk after his defeat. A president's gratitude apparently lasts exactly until the moment he needs someone to blame.

On election night, Trump had already blamed Wiles for the results in front of other people. Since then, he'd been preoccupied with finding her replacement. He asked people close to him about Stephen Miller, while Miller had been making his ambitions known through intermediaries for weeks. His close relationships with several Cabinet members gave him a considerable advantage. According to people who heard his conversations, Miller had a particularly appealing argument for why he should get the job: Trump needed to end the war against Iran. The president's most loyal supporters, of all people, viewed the war as a betrayal of his political promises. Miller, until now one of the most uncompromising figures in the White House, presented himself as someone who understood the political price of continuing the war. Quite a pitch coming from a man who has generally believed American power extends wherever other countries lose their sovereignty.

Stephen Miller at Trump's Halloween party. He didn't need a costume. The architect of the mass deportations represents a political agenda whose authoritarian and fascist characteristics have long since gone far beyond anything a costume could convey. His contempt for independent courts and his willingness to justify the violent seizure of foreign territory are far more frightening than any Halloween mask.

Stephen Miller has known Trump since his first presidential campaign. He worked in the White House throughout Trump's entire first term, and after Trump returned to office, he expanded his influence considerably. His fingerprints are all over the radical immigration policies and mass deportations. He's one of those advisers who mistake political ruthlessness for an ability to govern. When Trump considered a military takeover of Greenland, Miller laid out a vision of American power in which the United States could overthrow foreign governments and seize other countries' territory whenever Washington saw a national advantage in doing so. He went after judges who placed limits on Trump's decisions with similar ruthlessness. He called a court ruling against the president's tariffs a "judicial coup." He attacked other judges as Marxists and crazy communists. This is the man who will now organize the American president's daily work and help determine what information and policy proposals make it to his desk. The U.S. Constitution won't lose a single letter because of it. How patiently its limits will be respected from now on is a considerably more troubling question.

Meanwhile, Wiles said goodbye with a public declaration of love for her president. Serving him had been the honor of a lifetime, she said. She was proud of what they'd accomplished together and would remain loyal to his political mission. So her loyalty survives even getting fired. Just a few weeks ago, Trump had dismissed reports that she might be replaced. Now he's praising Wiles while replacing her with a man who has been working toward her job for quite some time. That's how careers end when you're close to a president who demands personal loyalty and assigns responsibility whenever it suits him. Wiles, the former political strategist with the closest access to the president, will leave her position on Monday.

"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. Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!

President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Almost at the same time as her downfall, another, far dirtier affair is coming to light. Calley Means, a former government adviser from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s circle, is making serious allegations against Wiles and her staff. In an extensive interview with Joe Rogan, he accused the outgoing chief of staff of sacrificing public health measures to the interests of major donors. Efforts to reduce children's sugar consumption had reportedly been blocked. Wiles had repeatedly told him that they needed money from the sugar industry for the midterms. Her team had also allegedly pressured officials over the approval of flavored electronic cigarettes. Tobacco companies contributed at least $20 million to Republicans in 2026. The allegations remain unproven. What makes them politically explosive is the claim that an administration publicly committed to protecting American children put business interests ahead of their health.

Means went even further. He claimed that companies hiring Katie Wiles, the chief of staff's daughter who works as a lobbyist, received preferential treatment. In connection with an executive order supporting glyphosate production, the White House had allegedly brushed aside objections from health officials. This happened at a time when the Supreme Court was considering a case involving the liability of glyphosate manufacturer Bayer. The Court later ruled in the company's favor. Means also accused Heidi Overton, whom Trump has since nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, of helping develop legal arguments supporting Bayer's position. Wiles and her team had repeatedly obstructed Kennedy, even though he had entered office promising to reform America's healthcare system. The administration denies making political decisions to benefit wealthy donors. Senator Ron Wyden has already announced investigations into possible favoritism toward the tobacco industry under Kennedy's leadership.

These allegations are surfacing just as Trump is losing his grip on congressional oversight. Starting in January, Democrats will have majorities that allow them to subpoena witnesses and demand documents. Wiles is losing her job while her conduct in office becomes the subject of serious accusations. Miller is gaining power, even though his political record represents some of the most controversial aspects of this presidency. And hanging over everything is a war against Iran that even Trump's most loyal supporters increasingly oppose. This personnel decision reveals how the president responds to defeat. He has dismissed the woman who organized his political rise and handed control of his closest staff to a man who treats judicial decisions as attacks on executive power. Stephen Miller starts Monday. In January, Democrats arrive with their congressional investigations. Until then, we'll see just how much influence the new chief of staff can wield over a president who has only just learned that even his power comes to an end at the ballot box.