Stephen Miller, in first chief of staff speech, says GOP is 'more popular than ever'

Stephen Miller, President Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, said Friday night that the Republican Party is "more popular than ever." He spoke at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida club, in his first speech in the new job. Voters had handed Democrats control of both the House and Senate three days earlier ¹.

Republicans lost at least 44 House seats and seven Senate seats, as of Saturday morning, according to Newsweek ¹. Miller replaces Susie Wiles, who had been chief of staff throughout Trump's second term. CBS News reports he is set to take over the role on Monday ².

On tapeNBC News · Nov 6

▶3:06

What Miller said

Miller thanked Trump and said the country would not exist without him. He credited the president with saving the military, the economy and the border ¹.

This man took a bullet for us, he faced down life in prison for us, he saved the Republican Party.

Miller also pledged complete loyalty to Trump. He said the party is now stronger, more popular and more resilient than at any point before ¹.

From Channel GOPTrump's 'find 11,780 votes' call played at hearingDonald Trump · 225 plays · captioned, with the source named

A different message from Republicans

Trump has acknowledged that the economy and the war in Iran contributed to the results, Newsweek reports. He has also said he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won in a landslide if he had been ¹.

Some Republicans see it differently. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has described the results as a rebuke of Trump and congressional Republicans. He has said they came close to an extinction-level event for the party ¹.

On tapeReuters · Nov 6

▶0:33

We just got to be honest. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working class people, and it's higher because of this conflict,

Who Miller is

Miller, 41, joined Trump's 2016 campaign as a speechwriter. He is a principal architect of the administration's aggressive immigration agenda ¹. CBS News reports he pushed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make at least 3,000 arrests a day ².

Miller also championed the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law, to quickly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. The Supreme Court blocked the government from deporting them without a chance to challenge their removal ². His enforcement push has been backed by about $170 billion that congressional Republicans provided in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which became law in July 2025 ².

What happens next

Democrats plan sweeping investigations of the administration's actions, including its immigration enforcement policies ². Newsweek reports that Miller is himself a top target of those probes ¹.

Newsweek says the staff shuffle signals that Trump is resisting a conciliatory approach to Democratic lawmakers. It also says Miller's grasp of executive power could mean a burst of executive actions in Trump's final two years ¹.

That matters because the White House is signaling confrontation, not compromise, with the incoming majority. Miller's speech praised loyalty and described a party in good shape. The vote count three days earlier points the other way.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Midterm elections: Democrats win the House and Senate, and Republicans lose at least 44 House seats and seven Senate seats as of Saturday morning ¹.
2. Nov 6, 2026Trump announces Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff, and Miller gives his first speech in the role at Mar-a-Lago ¹².
3. Nov 9, 2026Miller is set to formally take over as chief of staff on Monday ².

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<h2>Stephen Miller, in first chief of staff speech, says GOP is &#39;more popular than ever&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/stephen-miller-in-first-chief-of-staff-speech-says-gop-is-more-popular-than-ever">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 7, 2026.</em></p> <p>Stephen Miller, President Trump&#39;s incoming White House chief of staff, said Friday night that the Republican Party is &quot;more popular than ever.&quot; He spoke at Mar-a-Lago, Trump&#39;s Florida club, in his first speech in the new job. Voters had handed Democrats control of both the House and Senate three days earlier .</p> <p>Republicans lost at least 44 House seats and seven Senate seats, as of Saturday morning, according to Newsweek . Miller replaces Susie Wiles, who had been chief of staff throughout Trump&#39;s second term. CBS News reports he is set to take over the role on Monday .</p> <h2>What Miller said</h2> <p>Miller thanked Trump and said the country would not exist without him. He credited the president with saving the military, the economy and the border .</p> <blockquote><p>This man took a bullet for us, he faced down life in prison for us, he saved the Republican Party.</p><p>&mdash; Stephen Miller, White House chief of staff, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Miller also pledged complete loyalty to Trump. He said the party is now stronger, more popular and more resilient than at any point before .</p> <h2>A different message from Republicans</h2> <p>Trump has acknowledged that the economy and the war in Iran contributed to the results, Newsweek reports. He has also said he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won in a landslide if he had been .</p> <p>Some Republicans see it differently. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has described the results as a rebuke of Trump and congressional Republicans. He has said they came close to an extinction-level event for the party .</p> <blockquote><p>We just got to be honest. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working class people, and it&#39;s higher because of this conflict,</p><p>&mdash; Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, Republican</p></blockquote> <h2>Who Miller is</h2> <p>Miller, 41, joined Trump&#39;s 2016 campaign as a speechwriter. He is a principal architect of the administration&#39;s aggressive immigration agenda . CBS News reports he pushed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make at least 3,000 arrests a day .</p> <p>Miller also championed the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law, to quickly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. The Supreme Court blocked the government from deporting them without a chance to challenge their removal . His enforcement push has been backed by about $170 billion that congressional Republicans provided in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which became law in July 2025 .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Democrats plan sweeping investigations of the administration&#39;s actions, including its immigration enforcement policies . Newsweek reports that Miller is himself a top target of those probes .</p> <p>Newsweek says the staff shuffle signals that Trump is resisting a conciliatory approach to Democratic lawmakers. It also says Miller&#39;s grasp of executive power could mean a burst of executive actions in Trump&#39;s final two years .</p> <p>That matters because the White House is signaling confrontation, not compromise, with the incoming majority. Miller&#39;s speech praised loyalty and described a party in good shape. The vote count three days earlier points the other way.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/stephen-miller-in-first-chief-of-staff-speech-says-gop-is-more-popular-than-ever">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/stephen-miller-in-first-chief-of-staff-speech-says-gop-is-more-popular-than-ever.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Stephen Miller Calls Trump GOP More Popular 'Than Ever' in First CoS Speech” (2026-11-07). newsweek.com/stephen-miller-calls-trump-gop-more-popular-tha
2. CBS News, “What Stephen Miller has pushed for while in Trump administration” (2026-11-07). cbsnews.com/news/stephen-miller-chief-of-staff-trump-immigra

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