Stephen Miller pledged his "absolute loyalty" to President Trump on Friday evening, delivering brief remarks at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., shortly after being promoted to White House chief of staff in place of Susie Wiles.
"We need to stand with the man who has stood with us with every fiber of his being," Miller said in a video Trump posted to Truth Social. "I pledge you, Mr. President, my absolute loyalty, my unwavering commitment and my total devotion to your success and the success of this country." Speaking at the resort, Miller described the promotion as "the honor of my life."
Trump had announced earlier Friday that Wiles, who served as his chief of staff since he returned to office, had stepped down and that Miller would take over the role.
The selection quickly drew backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, who argued the president took the wrong message from sweeping midterm losses. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on the social platform X: "Donald Trump learned nothing from his historic defeat. Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn't have made a worse choice."
Miller was the architect of much of the president's hardline immigration agenda, including mass deportation efforts during his second term. Democrats have previously criticized his rhetoric, particularly after he labeled two American citizens killed during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis as "domestic terrorists."
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Friday that Trump should "rethink" elevating Miller, calling the move a "colossal mistake" following the party's midterm defeats. "This past Tuesday, Republicans lost because we lost the narrative on the border, a success that the president should have been heralding," Tillis said. "Now we're talking about putting one of the most partisan, polarizing figures, and not only polarizing in terms of Republicans and Democrats, but even among Republicans."
Trump's cabinet secretaries broadly welcomed the change. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared a photo of himself with Miller captioned, "Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic." Miller's appointment pulls Hegseth closer to the White House at a time when the Pentagon chief faces mounting criticism over his leadership and handling of the Iran war. House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) acknowledged, "There's a lot of questions about Hegseth," while Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) renews his effort to impeach the defense secretary.
Miller, for his part, praised the second Trump administration's defense agenda on Friday night. "If it wasn't for President Trump, the United States of America would not exist right now. This man saved America," he said, crediting the president with rescuing the military from collapse, the economy from destruction and the border from annihilation, and with protecting the country from threats at home and abroad.
