Serial changes in US administration after midterm setback; several including chief of staff removed - turmoil in party
Serial top-level personnel changes are taking place in President Donald Trump's administration after Democrats captured control of both chambers of Congress in the US midterm election.
On Friday, November 6, Trump announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had been removed; in her place, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, seen as the architect of the harsh immigration policies, took office today, November 9, as the 33rd chief of staff. Wiles, the White House's first female chief of staff, has been moved to Trump's political operations wing.
Meanwhile, three senior Justice Department officials have resigned. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, stepped down on Thursday, and National Security Division head John Eisenberg and US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quinones resigned on Friday. Following Miller's elevation, White House deputy chief of staff Richard Walters has also announced his departure.
Speaking in a television interview, Trump said he would make a few more administration changes, though he expressed confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer had also left the administration earlier this year.
The changes have caused major turmoil inside the Republican Party. Indiana Republican Marlin Stutzman publicly criticised promoting Miller as a "grave mistake," saying that when a team loses, personnel must be removed. Vice President JD Vance stirred further commotion by publicly blaming the war with Iran for the election defeat; he himself has denied speculation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio might resign.
With Democrats set to take control of Congress in January, strong congressional investigations into the administration are expected. Political observers assess that uniting his party and stabilising the administration for the rest of his term has become a major challenge for Trump.
