Stephen Miller, new chief of staff, has hardline foreign policy views on Iran, Venezuela, Greenland

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. This comes just days after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections. Stephen Miller, currently White House deputy chief of staff, will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff.

(Bloomberg)Trump praised Wiles on Truth Social and said she will continue to work for his political organization. Wiles also shared a statement. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime,” she said.

Miller is one of Trump’s closest and longest-serving advisers. He joined Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign as a speechwriter. He is currently deputy chief of staff and is a key architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration policies, as per AP.

Miller openly praised the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. In March 2026, Miller spoke about the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. As per The Independent, he called them “politically incorrect” and attacked what he called the “woke Pentagon” under earlier administrations.

“What you’re seeing right now … is a military under President Trump’s leadership that is not fighting politically correct. That isn’t fighting with its hands tied behind its back,” Miller said. The Independent also reported that a Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies poll for NBC News found 54 percent of American voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of Iran, while 41 percent approved.

Later, on August 29, 2026, Miller said Trump had achieved more against Iran than any earlier US leader, as per Iran International. He pointed to the Strait of Hormuz and the destruction of much of Iran’s military leadership.

“The fact that the Strait is open for America and closed for Iran. Their navy’s gone, their air force is gone, their radars are gone, their entire military command structure is gone, the entire terrorist leadership of the country is gone,” Miller told reporters, according to Iran International.

He called it “the most asymmetric military achievement in the modern history of military warfare,” as per the outlet. Miller's views on the use of force are not limited to Iran. In a January 6, 2026 report, The New York Times described how he had increasingly become involved in Trump's foreign policy ambitions, including those involving Venezuela and Greenland.

During a CNN interview with Jake Tapper on January 5, Miller defended the administration's approach to international relations and said global affairs were shaped by power. “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power,” Miller said.

“These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time,” he added. The comments came amid Trump's push to bring Greenland under US control. Miller also reiterated the president's intention to rule Venezuela following the US military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, according to The New York Times.

Khushi Arora is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she writes for the US Desk, covering everything happening in the United States, while maintaining quality and delivering impactful stories across all beats. She previously worked at Zee News for over a year where she explored multiple beats including News Desk, Education and Lifestyle.

With a background in English Literature, Khushi blends sharp research with thoughtful storytelling, shaping stories that go beyond headlines and bring clarity and credibility to every piece she writes. Beyond the newsroom, she enjoys reading, watching cinema and loves having long conversations about books, films and everything in between.Read More