The White House · Report · File No. 261109-831
Miller starts as chief of staff as Trump plans to govern around a Democratic Congress
Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump's immigration crackdown, took over as White House chief of staff Monday. Trump says he will lean on executive power and vetoes once Democrats control Congress in January.
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Stephen Miller, 41, is due to start Monday as White House chief of staff, the top staff job in the Trump White House. He has been with Trump since the 2016 campaign, when he was a speechwriter 1. He was also a driving force behind first-term policies such as family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border and the travel ban on people from many Muslim-majority countries 1.
Miller replaces Susie Wiles, who moves to Trump's political operation 2. Fox News reported on Nov. 6 that Democrats will control Congress in January. That will make it harder for Trump to pass laws and give Democrats the power to investigate his administration 2.
Trump's plan: executive action and vetoes
Fox News, citing Reuters, reported that Miller, budget director Russell Vought and White House lawyers have worked since April to find actions Trump could take without Congress. The areas include immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending 2. Vought runs the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the federal budget.
Asked by CBS how he would move his agenda, Trump pointed to a Supreme Court ruling in a case about firing a member of the Federal Trade Commission 2. He said it gives a president powers he never had before 2. Trump also said he will veto bills passed by the Democratic Congress until Democrats come to the bargaining table 2.
From Channel GOPTrump's 'find 11,780 votes' call played at hearingDonald Trump · 309 plays · captioned, with the source named
We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before.
The White House also warned about oversight. One official told Fox News Digital that if Democrats pursue investigations, “they should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers.” 2 Spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Democrats who pursue “sham investigations and radical left policies” are choosing to work against the American people 2.
Some Republicans are uneasy. One House Republican, who was not named, said he was concerned Trump “will embrace his populist roots that are not conservative to pass things with the Dems.” 2
Who is taking over
The Guardian called Miller Trump's most controversial aide and said his promotion has horrified many people 1. In remarks the Guardian collected, Miller described immigration as a threat to the country's character and said only mass deportations could reverse it 1.
Unless there’s massive large-scale deportations by the millions, it will be irrevocable.
After federal immigration agents shot and killed Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was observing officers in Minneapolis in January, Miller called him “a domestic terrorist” on X 1. The Guardian said that description is at odds with footage showing Pretti being tackled and shot by Border Patrol officers 1.
Miller also said the Supreme Court's June ruling blocking Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship was “a deep knife wound in the heart of the American republic.” 1 Birthright citizenship is the rule that nearly everyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen 1.
What happens next
Democrats take control of Congress in January 2. Expect a standoff. Trump says he will veto bills and act on his own 2. Democrats will have subpoena and investigative power 2.
That matters because the people most affected by executive orders and budget decisions often have no vote on them. Over the next two years, the fights over spending, tariffs and oversight will run through Miller's office.
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Sources
- The Guardian, “Stephen Miller, immigration hardliner, in his own words” (2026-11-09). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/09/stephen-miller-in-his-ow
- Fox News, “Trump's move of Wiles, Miller signals major tactical shift governing without Congress” (2026-11-06). foxnews.com/politics/trumps-move-wiles-miller-signals-major-
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