Stephen Miller, the chief architect of the Trump administration's widely decried mass deportation policy, has received a promotion to be the next White House chief of staff. In a Friday social media post, President Donald Trump
announced that Miller next week will take over for Susie Wiles, who served as his chief of staff for the past two years. Critics of the administration were quick to denounce the appointment of Miller, who has a long documented
history of promoting white nationalist literature and conspiracy theories. "Stephen Miller is a vile, hate-filled extremist who has made cruelty his life’s work,"
wrote the social media account of Democrats serving on the US House Committee on Homeland Security. "America just rejected the fear and bigotry he peddles and Trump handed him a promotion. They have learned nothing." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)—likely the chamber’s next speaker—described Miller as a "dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands." "His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor," Jeffries added. "Fire him today." Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who is in line to be the next chair of the House Oversight Committee, issued a
statement advising Miller to "lawyer up," echoing his message to Trump earlier this week. "Stephen Miller is the architect of the unconstitutional [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids that have terrorized our communities and kidnapped and killed American citizens and immigrant families," Garcia said. "Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate Miller for his misconduct, and we will fight against his hateful policies in Congress and the courts." Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said appointing Miller was "a giant middle finger to every single voter who came out to the polls and demanded a change from the corruption and cruelty of the last two years." Jayapal vowed that Democrats in Congress would deliver "real accountability for the corruption that Stephen Miller and Trump profited from." Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) marveled that Trump elevated a hard-liner like Miller, even after his party suffered a historic defeat this week in the 2026 midterm elections. "Tell me you learned nothing about why you had a devastating loss at the polls in November without telling me you don’t know why,"
wrote Pocan. "Stephen Miller. The solution to nothing." Pocan's remarks were echoed by Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who responded to news of Miller's appointment by
writing, "These losers learned nothing." Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), in a statement sent to independent journalist Marisa Kabas,
warned Miller to not "get too comfortable with your new title." "Part of the benefits package for your promotion is accountability for all the pain you have caused," Ramirez added. Democrats weren't the only ones panning the appointment of Miller, as some Republicans criticized the decision as well. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), who earlier this week called for Miller's firing,
told Semafor reporter Nicholas Wu that making him White House chief of staff was a "horrible decision" by the president. Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)
told CNN's Jake Tapper that picking Miller was "not a good choice" on Trump's part. "He’ll have an antagonistic relationship with many," Bacon explained. "He did take the immigration issue for President Trump from a two-to-one favorable to a two-to-one unfavorable. He went from the Biden extreme to the other extreme. He cost us seats in Texas and Arizona by alienating many Hispanic voters who voted for Trump in 2024." Olivia Troye, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, expressed disgust at Miller's promotion. "Stephen. Fucking. Miller," she
wrote. "What a dangerous joke. Except no one is laughing." Discussing the political ramifications of Miller's appointment, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie mused that it could be a long-term benefit to Democrats. "On the one hand, I think putting Miller in the driver's seat puts all of us in genuine danger," Bouie
wrote. "On the other hand, if you want a path to 60-plus Senate seats in 2029, this is it." MS NOW host Chris Hayes
expressed a similar sentiment. "If you were thinking: What could Trump do to push his approval rating down even further and open up the possibility of a 1964/1980/2008-style victory for Dems in 2028?" wrote Hayes. "The answer is: put Stephen Miller in charge of everything. And guess what?"
