Trump Signals Combative Next Two Years With Elevation of Stephen Miller

WASHINGTON—After a brutal election that gutted Republican power in Washington, President Trump has chosen one of his most loyal and divisive advisers as the new White House chief of staff, signaling a combative posture for the final two years of the Trump era.

Stephen MillerStephen Miller, a fierce political operative who has been at Trump’s side for more than a decade, has been a vocal advocate of the no-holds-barred style of governing that delighted the president’s most die-hard MAGA supporters—and was repudiated by much of the rest of the country on Election Day.

He succeeds Susie Wiles, who was seen as a moderating force on a sometimes impulsive president. Miller, 41 years old, was the architect of the aggressive immigration enforcement policies that turned off many voters, according to polls, contributing to Republicans’ historic losses on Tuesday.

His elevation signals that the president has no intention of backing away from the immigration agenda on which he built his political brand. Miller is expected to push a maximalist approach to executive power now that Democrats control Congress.

In the days after the election, Trump sent early signals that he would work with Democrats, but Miller has long advocated for a confrontational response to the wave of investigations that the newly ascendant opposing party is expected to launch.

Though Miller has at times pushed for a muscular foreign policy, particularly in South America, he has suggested they wind down the deeply unpopular war in Iran, according to people familiar with the discussions, and called for refocusing on policies like immigration that made Trump popular with his base.

Miller, when contacted Friday, directed questions to the White House. “He’s going to do a great job,” Trump told reporters after arriving at an event in Florida. An early test for Miller, according to associates of the president, is whether he can satisfy Trump’s desire to punish his perceived political enemies.

One of the president’s biggest frustrations with Wiles, according to administration officials, is that she and the Justice Department weren’t doing enough to go after people seen as leaking classified material, to jail reporters who publish such material and to prosecute his opponents.

Though Miller was influential during Trump’s first term, his purview has greatly expanded in the second one. He has overseen policy rollouts concerning the president’s trade war and targeting of elite universities, along with spearheading the Pentagon’s unprecedented campaign of striking alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean, killing many on board.

He hosts a daily 10 a.m. phone call with officials at agencies across the government to solicit new ideas to further the administration’s immigration crackdown. This week, Miller continued to lead those calls as usual, never acknowledging the election results on Tuesday or a need to change course, according to people familiar with the matter.

His demeanor has alarmed some officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who fear the country’s shift toward Democrats means their jobs will only grow more dangerous, the people said. He has personally drafted or edited nearly every executive order the president has signed, and he has faced little opposition from administration officials to his work to reshape immigration policy.

Even some posts at cabinet agencies have been described by administration officials as reporting directly to Miller, effectively bypassing cabinet secretaries. In recent weeks, he has worked closely with White House budget chief Russ Vought to chart a second-term agenda with an emphasis on executive actions that don’t require congressional approval, administration officials said.

Miller has also played a central role in planning for the White House response to congressional investigations, the officials said. Some in Washington, even people supportive of Trump, saw the president’s decision to promote Miller as a mistake that misreads the mood of the country.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) called it a “horrible idea.” Miller has told associates he plans to try to limit the influence of lobbyists on the administration. Miller is known to keep long hours in the White House, colleagues say, and often calls deep into government agencies to issue edicts.

Several staffers said he knew far more about the details of certain agencies than Wiles, and often used that to outmaneuver others. He is deeply involved in shaping his public image, working closely with the White House press office, people familiar with the dynamics say.

He has also become a central focus of socializing in Trump’s orbit. His wife, Katie Miller, a former Trump White House staffer, regularly throws parties and dinners at their residence on a military base, attracting cabinet and White House officials.

They live near Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and they socialize with him and his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, a former Fox News producer, according to people familiar with the matter. He has forged tight relationships with leading administration figures, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Less is known about his relations with Vice President JD Vance. Miller has also asserted his influence over the FBI, even making at least one unusual appearance at the bureau’s headquarters to stress to agents the importance of the Trump administration’s priority of cracking down on threats of political violence from the left, people familiar with the meeting said.

He told agents nothing should stand in their way of investigating threats to public officials, referencing his own personal experiences. The president, aware of polls showing that much of his immigration agenda isn’t popular, has told advisers he wasn’t comfortable with how far Miller has gone on some fronts, according to people who have spoken with Trump.

Trump has also heard complaints from business leaders about workers being thrown out of the country. One high-profile policy...