Newsletters
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to make additional changes to his Cabinet following Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections, hours after appointing Stephen Miller, a leading architect of his immigration policies, as White House chief of staff.
Asked in an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" whether he intended to fire anyone from his administration, Trump replied: "I do, yeah. Little bit."
"I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good," he said. "But I’ll … be doing maybe a few changes."
The interview is scheduled to air Sunday, with excerpts released Friday.
Trump's remarks came after he announced that Miller, 41, would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, marking a major leadership change following the Republican Party's loss of control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's elections.
Wiles, who became the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, will move to Trump's political operation.
Announcing the appointment on Truth Social, Trump described Miller as "one of my most trusted advisors."
Asked by reporters at the White House why he had decided to replace Wiles, the president said: "I wanted to make a change."
"Sometimes in life you have to make moves."
The decision marked a reversal from Trump's previous insistence that there was "zero chance" of replacing Wiles before the midterm elections.
A White House official told AFP that Wiles had resigned Thursday night.
Trump nevertheless praised her tenure, saying she had "done an outstanding job" and would be "moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff -- She has done a great job!"
Wiles, 69, confirmed that Friday would be her final day in the position.
"Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime," she wrote on X.
"I'm so proud to have been a part of what we've accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First."
Wiles had been credited with maintaining discipline within the White House and limiting the internal disputes and frequent personnel changes that characterized Trump's first administration.
Miller, who previously served as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, has played a central role in shaping Trump's immigration agenda, including the administration's mass deportation program.
He has been one of the president's closest political allies and a prominent advocate of his "America First" policies.
Speaking at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday evening, Miller praised the president and pledged his loyalty.
"It is the honor of my life to be President Trump's chief of staff," Miller said in a video shared on Trump's Truth Social account.
Trump also praised Miller while speaking to reporters at an airport in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"He's a great fighter," Trump said. "He's been with me right from the beginning...and he's very loyal."
White House communications director Steven Cheung described Miller as a "Trump OG, someone who has been with the President since the very beginning."
"He will help the Administration deliver on monumental victories for the rest of this historic second term," Cheung added.
However, Miller's appointment drew immediate criticism from Democrats, who have repeatedly opposed his immigration policies.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the decision, citing Miller's role in the administration's immigration crackdown.
"Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn't have made a worse choice," Schumer wrote on X.
"Our Democratic majorities will fight him every step of the way."
Miller has faced criticism over his support for federal immigration enforcement operations, including the administration's response to the fatal shootings of two protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis in January.
The appointment comes as Trump faces a changed political environment following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats regained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The results will leave the president governing alongside an opposition-controlled Congress for the final two years of his presidency.
Miller's selection was welcomed by prominent figures in Trump's Make America Great Again movement.
"It's Miller Time," conservative commentator Jack Posobiec wrote on social media.
Although Trump has confirmed that further personnel changes are possible, he has not identified which Cabinet officials could be replaced.
"I'll...be doing maybe a few changes. I don't wanna mention who," he said in the CBS interview.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
