Meet Stephen Miller, Trump’s new chief of staff and longtime adviser

Meet Stephen Miller, Trump's new chief of staff and longtime adviser.

Key points

• Born in 1985 in Santa Monica, California, Miller graduated from Duke University in 2007.
• She served as press secretary to then-Vice President Mike Pence from October 2019 to May 2020.
• Jeff Sessions in 2009 as press secretary and became communications director in 2014, according to Politico.
• Miller joined Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as a senior policy adviser in January 2016 and rapidly became an influential voice on immigration.
• His influence grew further after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

Meet Stephen Miller, Trump's new chief of staff and longtime adviser. Fernando Cervantes Jr. USA TODAY. Who is Stephen Miller, Trump's new chief of staff?

President Trump remarked Miller will commence as White House chief of staff on November 9.

Days after Republicans suffered major losses in midterm elections nationwide, President Donald Trump is shaking up his White House staff, elevating longtime adviser Stephen Miller to one of the administration's most powerful posts.

Miller is due to become White House chief of staff Nov. 9, replacing Susie Wiles. A key architect of Trump's immigration agenda and one of his longest-serving advisers, Miller has supported shape some of the president's most hard-line policies, from mass deportations to restrictions on immigration.

Trump confirmed the change in a Truth Social post Nov. 6 calling Miller "one of my trusted advisors." He praised Wiles for doing "an outstanding job" and thanked her for her work over the past two years.

Miller has been a central figure in Trump's political movement for almost a decade. His influence has additionally produced him a frequent target of criticism, particularly over his views on immigration and race. In 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center documented that leaked emails Miller sent to a former Breitbart editor promoted material associated with white nationalist ideology.

Miller, who is Jewish and the grandson of immigrants, has rejected accusations that he is a white nationalist. Here's what to know regarding Trump's incoming chief of staff. Stephen Miller's early political career.

He began his political career that year, working as press secretary for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann before taking a similar role with Arizona Rep. John Shadegg.

Miller joined the office of then-Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2009 as press secretary and became communications director in 2014, according to Politico.

While working for Sessions, Miller supported lead opposition to the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, a bipartisan immigration overhaul that passed the Senate but stalled in the House. An early Trump ally.

At the urging of Steve Bannon, Miller began writing speeches for Trump, according to The New Yorker, and supported write Trump's acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Politico described Miller during the campaign as an "instrumental adviser" to Trump on immigration. Miller afterwards assisted write Trump's 2017 inaugural address. An architect of Trump's immigration agenda.

During Trump's first term, Miller supported develop some of the administration's most controversial immigration measures.

Working alongside Bannon, Miller supported craft early executive actions, including the travel restrictions targeting a number of predominantly Muslim countries that became widely known as the "Muslim travel ban."

Miller was additionally a leading advocate of the administration's family separation policy at the southern border and was instrumental in pushing for its implementation, according to The New York Times.

Miller became a driving force behind the administration's second-term immigration crackdown, including its push to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals the administration accused of belonging to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Invoking the centuries-old law allowed the administration to seek deportations outside the traditional immigration-court process, a move that triggered extensive legal challenges. Who is Stephen Miller's wife, Katie Miller?

Miller's wife, Katie Miller, has additionally held a number of prominent roles in Republican politics and within Trump's orbit.

She served as press secretary to then-Vice President Mike Pence from October 2019 to May 2020. Before joining Pence's office, she was communications director for former Arizona Sen. Martha McSally.

More lately, Katie Miller served as a spokesperson for the Department of Administration Efficiency, or DOGE. In August, she introduced "The Katie Miller Podcast, " a show aimed at Republican women.

Stephen, 41, and Katie, 35, married in February 2020. They have four children: daughter Mackenzie; sons Jackson, Hudson and Hawthorne, born June 3, according to Individuals. USA TODAY's Lauren Villagran contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. Is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

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