Analysis: After losing the election, Trump may change the White House chief of staff and take a tough line of confrontation

(Central News Agency, Washington, 7th, Comprehensive Foreign News Report) After U.S. President Trump was defeated in the midterm elections, he chose Miller as the new White House Chief of Staff, replacing Wells who resigned after losing the election. Analysis points out that Trump has promoted the most loyal but also the most controversial staff, indicating that Trump may adopt a tougher and more confrontational stance in the last two years of his term.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that 41-year-old Stephen Miller has followed Trump for more than 10 years and is one of the few officials in Trump’s first administration to return to the core senior level. Miller's tough, no-nonsense governance style is highly praised by die-hard "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) supporters, but he is quite controversial among voters as a whole. Miller's style is very different from that of Susie Wiles, who is about to leave her job. The latter is often regarded as a brake on Trump's impulsive actions.

Miller is an important architect of Trump's tough immigration enforcement policy after his return. Many polls in this midterm election showed that these policies disgusted many voters and became one of the reasons why the Republican Party suffered a historic defeat. The Wall Street Journal believes that although Trump immediately expressed his goodwill to cooperate with the Democratic Party after losing the election, Miller may take a confrontational route in the face of the large-scale investigations that will be launched after the Democratic Party regains control of Congress.

According to government insiders, Trump's main dissatisfaction with Wells is that she and the Department of Justice are not active enough in investigating internal leaks, prosecuting political opponents, and punishing media reporters who publish confidential information. An aide revealed that one of Miller's first tests after taking office is whether he can implement Trump's request to liquidate perceived political enemies.

Miller will be more influential in Trump's second term than in his first. In addition to continuing to lead the rectification of elite universities and trade war-related policies, he also led the Pentagon's deadly air strikes on suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean.

According to people familiar with the matter, even after losing the midterm election, Miller continued to preside over daily morning meetings on immigration policy involving officials from various ministries, without mentioning the election results or the need to change course. This move caused uneasiness among some Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who were worried that the jobs of frontline law enforcement officers might be lost after the Congress changed hands.

Government insiders revealed that Mueller has been working closely with White House Budget Director Russ Vought to focus on executive actions that do not require congressional approval and to develop a defense strategy against the upcoming large-scale congressional investigation. As for diplomacy, although Miller sometimes has strong opinions, especially on South America, it is reported that he has proposed a gradual end to the war in Iran and advocated that he should refocus on domestic affairs such as immigration that unite his base.

The Washington Post also believes that Trump’s selection of Miller as White House chief of staff is a clear message to the Democrats who have regained control of Congress: He is prepared to pursue confrontation rather than compromise. When Trump spoke to the media on the evening of the 6th about Miller’s personnel case, he said: “He is an excellent fighter.”

The Post pointed out that Miller once called the Democratic Party a "domestic extremist organization" and often confronted Trump's political opponents on issues such as immigration policy and the boundaries of presidential power. After taking over as White House chief of staff, Miller is likely to become the Democratic Party's main target in promoting congressional oversight actions.

Democratic California Representative Robert Garcia is expected to become chairman of the House Oversight Committee in the new Congress. Shortly after Trump announced Miller's promotion, Garcia issued a statement directly asking Miller to "get a lawyer quickly."

Axios News quoted Republican strategist Barrett Marson as saying: "I think 'compromise, reconciliation' has never been in Trump's dictionary or code of conduct." He also said that the appointment of Mueller proves that Trump will never give in.