House Republicans are in open revolt after President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff for policy, will take over as White House chief of staff—a promotion that came just days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in a midterm rout that Democrats are on pace to win more than 250 House seats and at least 54 Senate seats.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital the decision was a "horrible decision." Multiple House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital moments before the promotion was announced said Miller, who has spearheaded Trump's immigration enforcement agenda, should be fired. When one of those lawmakers was later asked about Miller's promotion, he replied with a facepalm emoji.
The anger isn't isolated. A second GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital that Miller repeatedly ignored warnings from House Republicans that the administration's immigration crackdown was backfiring in their districts. "I've been in several group meetings where a lot of us have told him, 'Your immigration enforcement policies are backfiring back home, our people are mad, our businesses are mad — even in deep red districts — and it is impacting not just the voters, but the donors, and everybody top to bottom,'" the lawmaker said. "But it looked to me like Stephen Miller was only after numbers … he would not listen to us."
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital before news of the promotion broke that Miller had damaged the party. "I think he's greatly hurt the administration and cost us many seats on Tuesday," Bacon said. "He took an immigration policy that favored the president 2:1 in the public, over-reached and made it 2:1 unfavorable."
Stutzman specifically pointed to the GOP's collapsing support among Hispanic and Latino voters, particularly in Texas, which shifted heavily toward Democrats this cycle. "Because of his immigration positions, I just think we ruined a lot of our goodwill with Latino voters," he said.
The White House announced the change after Susie Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night, according to an official cited by NBC News. Miller will assume chief of staff duties on Monday. Trump announced the move on Truth Social Friday afternoon. NBC News reported that the shift signals Trump intends to strengthen ties to the MAGA base in his final two years in office, and that Miller will be combative with Congress, particularly regarding Democratic investigations into the administration.
One ally who spoke with Trump told NBC News that the president praised Miller as an aide who gets things done and doesn't just tell him what he wants to hear. "When the president says, 'Do this,' Stephen will do it, and he'll leave bodies behind doing it," the ally said.
Fox News Digital reported that voter analyses showed Trump's military action in Iran and his tariff policies played the biggest roles in turning voters away from the GOP, while his handling of illegal immigration alienated voters in key areas. POLITICO reported that Miller's rise to chief of staff exacerbated GOP fears that there will be no party-wide reckoning after the midterm wipeout, and Raw Story reported that House Republicans were in "utter disbelief" as Trump promoted the man they blame for the rout.
It is not yet known whether Republican lawmakers will mount any formal challenge to the appointment, or whether Miller will face confirmation-style scrutiny. The chief of staff position does not require Senate confirmation.
Our Take
Every Republican howling about Stephen Miller right now should ask themselves one question: where were they when the policy was being written? Miller didn't invent mass deportation. Trump ran on it. Trump won on it in 2024. The voters who handed him the White House wanted exactly what Miller was building. What went wrong wasn't the mission—it was the execution, and too many in the party stayed quiet while it happened instead of fighting for a version that worked for their districts.
Now, with Democrats about to take both chambers, the House GOP suddenly discovers its spine and points it at the president's own staff. That's not accountability. That's a scapegoat. The Republicans demanding Miller's head on a platter are the same ones who watched their own warnings get ignored for two years and did nothing but send memos and hold meetings. Voters aren't stupid—they saw who was in charge and who wasn't.
But let's be clear about what Miller's promotion actually means. Trump is sending a message: he is not going to spend his final two years apologizing to the establishment for the agenda he was elected to carry out. If House Republicans want a different outcome in 2028, screaming at the president's new chief of staff on background to Fox News isn't a strategy. It's a surrender in slow motion. The question is whether the party wants to govern—or just complain.
