Trump aide Stephen Miller is seen in Washington DC in August 2026, in front of an American flagImage source, Getty Images
ByAnthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent
  • Published11 minutes ago

In the aftermath of the Republican Party's sweeping defeat in Tuesday's midterm elections, Donald Trump said he would be willing to work with the newly ascendent Democrats in Congress.

On Friday, however, he elevated Stephen Miller, his bare-knuckled political operative and longtime adviser, to replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.

Far from an olive branch to Congress, Miller's promotion could be a sign that the president is girding for political battle by installing a partisan firebrand in the top White House job.