Stephen Miller became White House chief of staff on Monday, marking a sharp turn away from the management style of his ousted predecessor, Susie Wiles.
The adviser spent his first week issuing memos to restrict lobbyists and empower cabinet secretaries, CNN reported.
“Stephen has now the volante,” an unnamed Trump ally said, according to CNN. “Va a ser muy, muy diferente; extremadamente diferente.”
Miller revokes Wiles's approval layers and lobbyist meeting policies
Miller has moved quickly to dismantle the approval layers that Wiles established during her tenure. He revoked a policy requiring West Wing sign-off for all public appearances, granting cabinet members direct access to both him and the president.
He also issued a ban on holding meetings with lobbyists inside the White House without prior authorization. Wiles, a former lobbyist herself, had faced sharp criticism from the MAGA base for giving excessive influence to outside donors ahead of the midterm elections.
“Stephen no es alguien que se deje llevar por las influencias; se mueve por argumentos de política pública,” Hunter Morgen, a lobbyist at Ballard Partners who worked with Miller during Trump’s first term, told CNN.
Miller pressures Mexico to halt illegal border crossings
Beyond West Wing operations, Miller has intensified pressure on immigration enforcement. He has been in frequent contact with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson to demand a complete halt to illegal crossings, The New York Times reported.
Mexican officials have told U.S. counterparts that achieving zero crossings along a border stretching over 3,000 kilometers is impossible. Nonetheless, Miller continues to complain about crossing numbers even as they sit near multi-decade lows, The New York Times reported.
Preparing for Political Battle in Congress
The personnel shift follows crushing Republican losses in the November midterm elections, where polling showed 58 percent of voters believed immigration controls had gone too far, according to BBC. Rather than pivot toward compromise, Trump elevated a hardline loyalist.
“The mission now is more clear than ever: luchar con toda nuestra alma para apoyar a nuestro presidente y defender esta magnífica república,” Miller posted on X, as cited by BBC.
In the days following his appointment, the White House rallied Republican support to protect Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from a congressional impeachment push.
“If you have the demócratas diciendo, en esencia, que van a la guerra contra ti, entonces necesitas un consejero de guerra,” Newt Gingrich told CNN.
Common Questions About the White House Transition
Who did Stephen Miller replace as White House chief of staff?
Miller replaced Susie Wiles, who codirigied Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign and served as chief of staff during the first two years of his second term before her dismissal in November.
What are Miller’s primary policy targets in his new role?
Miller aims to advance the administration’s political battle and push for stricter immigration controls with zero border crossings, according to CNN and The New York Times.
How have Mexican officials responded to Miller’s border demands?
Mexican authorities told U.S. officials that stopping all irregular crossings along a border of more than 3,000 kilometers is unrealistic, The New York Times reported.