Who is Stephen Miller? Trump’s new chief of staff is architect of ICE crackdown

Donald Trump named longtime aide Stephen Miller as his chief of staff on Friday, giving the architect of some of his toughest domestic policies one of the most powerful jobs in Washington after Republicans lost control of Congress in last week’s midterm elections.Miller, who will replace veteran operator Susie Wiles, assumes the role as the president prepares to confront a Democratic-led House of Representatives and Senate and a wave of congressional investigations into his administration.A longtime proponent of expansive presidential authority, Miller takes over at a time when the Republican Party midterms defeat could leave Trump more reliant on executive power to advance his domestic agenda.White House officials say the move signals that the president is looking to keep loyalists close without adjusting course on his cornerstone domestic policies. Miller will have great influence in managing the president’s staff and schedule, but his appointment arrives at a precarious moment when Trump’s policies are still weighing heavily on his approval rating.Stephen Miller replaces the veteran operator Susie Wiles as Donald Trump’s chief of staff (AP)Who is Stephen Miller?Miller, 41, is one of Trump's longest-serving aides and one of only a few who served throughout his first and second terms in office. He aligned with Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign before serving as an adviser and speechwriter in the first 2017-2021 term.In Trump's second term, Miller has been homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff, under Wiles, but has wielded outsize influence across much of Trump’s domestic agenda.At home, he is best known for driving Trump’s immigration crackdown, setting a target of 3,000 arrests per day. He has pushed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to target anybody in the country illegally, not just those with criminal records.The crackdown, however, has not been popular with Americans. Just 36% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed early this week approve of it, with 54% disapproving.Stephen Miller and White House aide Natalie Harp walk to board Marine One on Friday (AFP/Getty)Beyond enforcement, Miller has been a vocal advocate for ending birthright citizenship, and denounced the Supreme Court's ruling that rejected that proposal as “one of the most destructive and outrageous decisions” in the court's history.Miller was also deeply involved in Trump's campaign to remake the federal bureaucracy, which led to the dismissal of tens of thousands of civil servants in 2025. And he was a driving force behind the administration’s battles with universities, diversity programs and other institutions.On foreign policy, Miller has echoed Trump's rhetoric on the war with Iran, saying in the early weeks of the conflict that US and Israeli strikes had wiped out Tehran's leadership class and military capacity. He also declined to rule out military action to acquire Greenland in January and said the US was “running Venezuela” after the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro in January.Former White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in December (Reuters)What does the chief of staff do?The chief of staff typically wields great influence as the president's gatekeeper.The person selects and supervises White House staff, organises the president's time and schedule, and oversees other government departments and lawmakers.This means acting as a close and candid confidant and helping to choose between priorities each day. American political journalist Chris Whipple told NBC Chicago at the time of Wiles’ appointment that the role was “absolutely critical to an effective White House”.“At the end of the day the most important thing is telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear,” he said.Trump ran through four chiefs of staff – an unusually high number – during his 2017-2021 term, as they were seen to have struggled to rein in the unpredictable president.Stephen Miller among advisors during a meeting at the White House in December 2019 (AFP/Getty)What does the appointment say about Trump’s plans?Announcing the appoint, Trump called Miller “one of my most trusted advisors” and said the handover would take effect on Monday.The president said this week he was willing to work with Democrats on Capitol Hill. But elevating Miller, who is known for being caustic and uncompromising, could signal a more confrontational approach and a renewed push to advance the president's agenda on immigration and other issues, several White House officials told Reuters.One White House official said Miller’s appointment signals that Trump has no intention of rethinking his policies and instead is rewarding his most loyal aides.Marc Short, who was chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence in Trump’s first term, said that in Miller, Trump is “getting someone who is wed to him” and who is willing to battle Congress over issues like immigration and congressional investigations.“It would not suggest that there is high expectation for bipartisan legislation," Short said in an interview.