‘Everything is going to get worse’: America erupts over Trump’s pick of Stephen Miller to lead White House

As MAGA celebrated Stephen Miller’s promotion from deputy to chief of staff in President Donald Trump’s White House, Democrats, liberals, and even some Republicans warned: “Everything is going to get worse.”In a remarkable and historic week for American politics, Trump and the GOP saw their control of Congress crumble as voters flipped the House and the Senate blue in the midterm elections. Democrats also made major gains in state legislatures, handing them power not seen in some parts of the nation for decades.Many understood it as a rebuke of Trump and his administration’s handling of a volatile and expensive war in Iran, and a rejection of the president’s aggressive deportation campaign – designed and executed by Miller. With the ouster of chief of staff Susie Wiles, Miller - a man whose uncle has publicly told of his “dismay and horror” over his nephew’s ideology that some have labeled “Nazi” or xenophobic - has been elevated to an even more powerful position in the final two years of Trump’s presidency.“Everything is going to get worse. Much worse,” reacted Republicans Against Trump, a pro-democracy conservative group.Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana said Miller’s appointment to chief of staff was “a horrible decision,” Semafor reported, while outgoing Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told CNN it was “not a good choice.” With the ouster of Susie Wiles, Stephen Miller - a man whose uncle has publicly told of his ‘dismay and horror’ over his nephew’s ideology - has been elevated to an even more powerful position (Getty)“He’ll have an antagonistic relationship with many,” Bacon said. “He cost us seats in Texas and Arizona by alienating many Hispanic voters who voted for Trump in 2024.”Democrats swiftly posted horrified statements on social media, condemning the president for the move and accusing him of “learning nothing” from the referendum handed to him in the midterms. “Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor.”“Stephen Miller is the architect of Trump’s immigration policies that plunged quiet American communities into violence,” said Virginia Rep. Don Beyer. “Stephen Miller embodies the worst elements of the Trump presidency. His promotion shows that Trump has learned nothing from his electoral debacle and has no intention of even trying to work constructively with the next Congress.”“At a time when voters clearly spoke out against the war in Iran and the rising prices of gas and groceries, Trump responded by doubling down and appointing his biggest enabler of unpopular and illegal policies,” added Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “Clearly, he learned absolutely nothing from the unprecedented sweep of elections across the country.” Democrats swiftly posted horrified statements on social media, condemning the president for the move and accusing him of ‘learning nothing’ from the referendum handed to him in the midterms (Reuters)California Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, instead had a warning for the incoming chief of staff. “Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” Garcia said, and pledged to investigate Miller for “misconduct” and “his hateful policies” in Congress and the courts.Miles Taylor, a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security who blew the whistle on Trump’s first administration, said that Miller’s appointment as White House chief of staff was “among the most dangerous personnel decisions in the history of our republic.”“Naming Stephen Miller chief of staff is like looking at a five-alarm fire and deciding the problem is a shortage of gasoline,” commented attorney Andrew Weinstein, a former U.S. delegate to the United Nations.Author Don Winslow said that elevating Miller to chief of staff was “a defiant act of war that will deliver more hate, horror and racism.”“If you believe Schumer+Jeffries can fight a war against Trump/Miller you are blind, deaf, dumb & staggeringly ignorant to the past two years,” he added.“So with Stephen Miller, Trump has officially moved into the Bunker Stage of his Reich,” quipped liberal commentator Keith Olbermann.California Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, instead had a warning for the incoming chief of staff. ‘Stephen Miller should lawyer up,’ Garcia said (AFP/Getty)“Message from the American people received by Trump. His response: let’s go with little Himmler,” said former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci.Robert Weissman, co-president of the nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen, blasted Miller as “a white nationalist bigot” in a scathing statement. “There could not be a clearer sign Trump aims to intensify his authoritarianism than the naming of Stephen Miller as his chief of staff,” Weissman said. “Bestowing even more power upon one of this political chapter’s most cruel and racist ghouls is a mistake every Republican should condemn.” The MAGA celebrations, meanwhile, were in full swing on social media.“Next to me, Stephen Miller is the strongest MAHA supporter in the administration,” said Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. “It’s time to unleash the Kraken.”Conservative commentator Gina Milan likened Miller’s promotion to “watching the Patriots come back from a 28–3 deficit against the Falcons.”“I can’t even explain how happy I am hearing Stephen Miller is the next White House Chief of Staff,” Milan said.Short-lived White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, fired just five days into the job by Trump, simply reacted to the news: “Time to ramp up the deportations.”Brent Scher, the editor-in-chief of the right-wing Daily Wire, hailed Miller “a wartime chief of staff,” and added, “This is going to be awesome.”“Good,” far-right political activist Valentina Gomez reacted to the news. “You can’t send a woman to do a MAN’S JOB.”Trump announced the news on Truth Social, and Wiles posted a short statement on social media soon after. She said Friday was her last day in the job and called her White House tenure “the honor of a lifetime.”“I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First,” she said.