Stephen Miller Starts as White House Chief of Staff on Monday, and Democrats Say They Will Not Work With Him

WASHINGTON — Stephen Miller started work on Monday as White House chief of staff, taking over the West Wing's top staff job from Susie Wiles in the first major personnel change since Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterms. President Donald Trump announced the switch on Friday, in a Truth Social post reported by the Associated Press and CNN, calling Miller one of his most trusted advisers and saying Wiles would move over to the Trump Political Operation.

Miller is no newcomer to the building. USA TODAY reported that he has served throughout Trump's second term as deputy chief of staff for policy and as a homeland security adviser, and he has been a close adviser to the president since the first term. Reuters noted that the appointment places the architect of the administration's immigration policies at the centre of White House operations for the final two years of the term, with Democrats preparing to take control of Congress in January.

The opposition's answer came before Miller's first day began. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, appearing on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday, said Democrats will not work with the new chief of staff, USA TODAY reported. That sets the tone for a divided-government stretch in which the chief of staff's usual job — negotiating between the White House and Capitol Hill — starts with the other party's leader publicly ruling out cooperation.

Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, leaves the post after running Trump's political comeback and the first two years of his second administration, according to the AP/CNN reporting. The chief of staff job does not require Senate confirmation. What Miller does with the role — and whether the Jeffries line holds once legislating starts — is now the running Washington story of the post-midterm reset.