President Donald Trump’s decision to make Stephen Miller his chief of staff has angered several Republicans, some of whom had recently called for Miller to be removed from the administration.
“Horrible decision,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said Friday. One Republican lawmaker, speaking anonymously, described being “in utter disbelief.”
Criticism of Miller had intensified after Republicans performed poorly in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Several House Republicans said shortly before the appointment was announced that Miller, who has led Trump’s immigration efforts, should be fired. Asked about his promotion afterward, one of those lawmakers responded with a facepalm emoji.
Republicans lost ground in both chambers, with Democrats projected to take control of the House and Senate. Democrats were on track to win more than 250 House seats and at least 54 Senate seats.
Analyses of the results have pointed to Trump’s war in Iran and his tariff policies as major factors in voters’ shift away from Republicans. His approach to immigration also appeared to cost the party support in some key areas, particularly among Hispanic and Latino voters. Texas was among the states that moved sharply toward Democrats.
“Because of his immigration positions, I just think we ruined a lot of our goodwill with Latino voters,” Stutzman said.
Another Republican lawmaker said Miller had dismissed repeated warnings from House members that the administration’s immigration crackdown was causing trouble 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.”
Other Republicans also criticized Miller, though they stopped short of calling for his dismissal. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said before the promotion was announced that Miller had damaged the administration and contributed to Republican losses.
“He took an immigration policy that favored the president 2:1 in the public, over-reached and made it 2:1 unfavorable,” Bacon said. He added that many Republicans disliked Miller.
Miller has long been a central figure in Trump’s immigration policy. The administration faced criticism from both parties earlier this year over its response to protests against immigration enforcement, including demonstrations in Minneapolis. Some Republicans, especially those running in competitive districts, had urged Trump to focus deportations on people who had committed crimes while in the United States.
One other Republican lawmaker called Miller a “megalomaniac” who should never have been given such authority, but argued that he was not responsible for the election losses. “No one knows who Stephen Miller is in our districts,” the lawmaker said.
Other administration figures, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Trump himself, also faced blame after the midterm results. Trump and his allies, however, pointed to the quality of the candidates, saying the president had in some cases campaigned harder than the candidates did on their own behalf.
In announcing Miller’s promotion on Truth Social, Trump called him one of his “most trusted advisors.” He later told reporters Miller would “do a great job.”
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Miller had been instrumental in advancing Trump’s “America First” agenda. She credited him with leading the administration’s crime initiatives in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, deregulation efforts, expanded energy production, actions against drug cartels and border security work. In his new position, she said, he would continue to pursue what she described as major successes for Americans.
Bis also highlighted praise for Miller from administration officials and members of Congress. Vice President JD Vance called him a patriot and congratulated him on what he described as a deserved promotion. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris said Miller had a record of working to secure the border, fight crime and advance conservative policies.
A White House official said Miller had worked with Democrats on the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force and had been a trusted aide since 2016.
