The White House’s post-election shake-up: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, we dive into President Donald Trump’s decision to make a change at chief of staff. Plus, Kristen Welker examines how voters once again rejected the status quo. — Adam WollnerTrump names Stephen Miller his new chief of staff, replacing Susie WilesBy Jonathan Allen and Rebecca ShabadPresident Donald Trump has turned to MAGA favorite Stephen Miller to lead the White House after Republicans got trounced in Tuesday’s midterm elections, losing both chambers of Congress by wide margins.Trump announced the change at the top on Truth Social this afternoon, with Miller, his deputy chief of staff, taking over chief of staff duties from Susie Wiles on Monday. Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night, according to a White House official.The shift from Wiles, a longtime establishment figure in Florida and national political circles, to Miller, the hard-charging architect of the president’s mass-deportation campaign, sends a signal to a fractured Republican Party that Trump intends to strengthen ties to the MAGA base in his final two years in office. It also portends an even more contentious relationship with Democrats in Congress, who have demonized Miller for years.“Miller knows the key issues and is a true believer — and he knows the ecosystem around the issues,” said Steve Bannon, a former senior Trump aide and host of ‘The War Room” podcast. “Stephen gets parachuted in and takes immediate control.”On a recent phone call with an ally, Trump praised Miller as an aide who gets things done and doesn’t just tell him what he wants to hear. The ally said that Miller will be combative with Congress, particularly when it comes to any investigations Democrats point toward the administration.“When the president says, ‘Do this,’ Stephen will do it, and he’ll leave bodies behind doing it,” the ally said.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is widely expected to become speaker in January, called for Miller to be fired, not promoted.“Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands,” Jeffries wrote on X. “His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor. Fire him today.”Read more →The midterms reveal a much larger slice of the electorate is up for grabsAnalysis by Kristen WelkerWe thought the 2024 presidential contest was a realignment election, one that would scramble political alliances and change the way both parties try to win for years to come. It turns out that we were only right about the second half. As the dust settles on the 2026 midterms, where Democrats made deep inroads in red states and districts to rack up historic gains in the House and Senate (with more key races still uncalled), one major takeaway is that the group of voters who aren’t strictly guided by pure partisanship is far larger than many may have thought. Those same young, Latino and disaffected voters that helped power President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024 swung dramatically back to Democrats two years later, underscoring that the last two elections weren’t realignments, but rejections of the status quo. After Trump campaigned on tackling rising inflation and bringing down costs, pre-election and exit polling this year makes clear these voters believe he didn’t keep his promises. But just like these swing voters were not permanently a part of the GOP coalition after 2024, Democrats can’t take them for granted now. It now falls to Democrats to figure out how to follow through with the mandate they were given in a divided government, and how to avoid self-inflicted damage from their own factionalism. And Republicans will face a different, yet inextricably linked task — sifting through the wreckage of a disappointing election and figuring out the path forward, not unlike what Democrats faced after 2024.Where both parties go next will shape the lame duck period before the new Congress is sown in, the legislative goals both parties will pursue over the next two years, and, of course, the 2028 presidential election. We’ll sort through all the fallout from the midterms this Sunday on “Meet the Press.” I’ll be joined by Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, D-Kansas, Florida Republican Gov.-elect Byron Donalds, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.Related reads:🗞️ Today's other top stories💼 Jobs report: The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in October, a surprisingly strong number that includes what appear to be some AI-related construction and manufacturing jobs. Read more →⬅️ Eyeing the exit: The Trump appointee who headed the office running a so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation looking into federal law enforcement officials who were involved in prior investigations of the president has resigned. Read more →⚖️ In the courts: A federal judge temporarily blocked construction on Trump’s “Triumphal Arch” shortly after a planning commission led by the president’s appointees approved it. Read more →➡️ Murphy update: Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was discharged from hospital today after suffering what his doctor called a “small hemorrhagic stroke” last weekend. Read more →That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.comAnd if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here.