United States: Trump appoints Stephen Miller, a representative of the hard right, as chief of staff

At 41, Stephen Miller, long-time advisor to Donald Trump and inspiration for his migration policy, will take charge of the White House cabinet on Monday. The American president announced on Truth Social that he had chosen this representative of the hard right to succeed Susie Wiles, who had led his 2024 campaign before becoming his chief of staff. This is the first major reshuffle since the Democrats’ victory in the midterms.

In his new role, Stephen Miller will coordinate the work of the White House. He will decide who can meet with the president and what information is given to him. Donald Trump highlighted their long collaboration to explain his choice. “Stephen has been with me since the beginning. He understands things. It’s a political end,” he said. Vice President J.D. Vance welcomed the appointment, as did Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who said the advisor “never backed down.”

A defender of identity currents

At the White House, Stephen Miller defends the positions of identity currents which present the United States as a white and Christian nation and see immigration as a threat to its existence. His appointment comes as Democrats interpret their electoral victory as a rejection of the methods of the immigration police, ICE, responsible for leading a campaign of mass expulsions. “The mission is clearer than ever: to fight with all our soul to support the president and defend this magnificent republic,” the advisor wrote on X.

In January, Stephen Miller described Alex Pretti, an American killed by federal agents in Minneapolis against the backdrop of protests against the presence of ICE, as a “terrorist”, before walking back his statements. When his nomination was announced, Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, accused him of having “American blood on his hands”. In the Senate, his counterpart Chuck Schumer pledged to “fight step by step” the future chief of staff.

He succeeds Susie Willes who will hold other positions

Susie Wiles, 69, resigned Thursday evening, according to a White House source. The first woman to occupy this position, she imposed a discipline within the cabinet that contrasted with the first term of Donald Trump. However, his position had been fragile for some time, according to American media. In particular, she was not consulted on the recruitment of spokesperson Katie Zacharia, who was fired after barely a week.

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Susie Wiles will exercise other functions in the president's entourage, outside the government. “My commitment to the president and his mission will never change,” she wrote on X. Her departure further reduces the number of women who hold senior positions in the American administration. Donald Trump had already fired the heads of Justice, Homeland Security and Intelligence, all three replaced by men.