Republicans criticize promotion of Stephen Miller to Trump chief of staff

Several Republican lawmakers are furious over President Donald Trump’s nomination of Stephen Miller as chief of staff.

“Horrible decision,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital on Friday after Trump announced his decision.

A Republican lawmaker who was granted anonymity to speak candidly said he was in “complete disbelief.”

Tensions were rising against Miller following the Republicans’ terrible performance in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Several House Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital moments before his promotion said Miller, who is leading Trump’s immigration policy, should be fired.

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Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, is seen outside the White House on October 6, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Asked later about his promotion, a House Republican who said Miller should be fired responded simply with a facepalm emoji.

Republicans suffered historic losses that saw the House and Senate fall into Democratic hands in the new Congress. Democrats are on track to win more than 250 seats in the House and at least 54 in the Senate.

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And while voter analytics have shown that Trump’s war in Iran and tariffs played the biggest role in turning people away from the Republican Party, his handling of illegal immigration has served to alienate voters in key areas. That’s largely because Hispanic and Latino voters have turned their backs on Republicans in places like Texas, which have turned overwhelmingly toward Democrats this election cycle.

“Because of his positions on immigration, I just think we’ve ruined a lot of our goodwill with Latino voters,” Stutzman said.

The second-ranking Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital that Miller had ignored several warnings from House Republicans in the past, arguing that Trump’s crackdown on immigration was what voters were asking for.

“I’ve been in several group meetings where a lot of us have said to him, ‘Your immigration enforcement policies are backfiring, our people are crazy, our businesses are crazy – even in deep red districts – and it’s impacting not only voters, but donors and everyone from top to bottom,’ the Republican lawmaker said. “But it seemed to me that Stephen Miller was only looking for numbers…he didn’t want to listen to us.”

Other Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital also criticized Miller but stopped short of saying he should be fired.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., attends a House Financial Services Committee hearing on May 7, 2025. (CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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“I think he greatly damaged the administration and cost us a lot of seats on Tuesday,” outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital before Miller’s promotion was announced. “He adopted an immigration policy that favored the president 2:1 in public opinion, but crossed the line and made it 2:1 unfavorable.”

“A lot of Republicans don’t like him,” Bacon added when asked about his promotion.

Miller is widely known as Trump’s right-hand man on immigration policy, including earlier this year when the administration faced bipartisan backlash over its handling of anti-immigration protests in places like Minneapolis.

Several Republicans, particularly those running in battleground districts, have called on Trump to limit deportations to illegal immigrants who have committed crimes while in the United States.

A fourth Republican lawmaker said, “Stephen is a megalomaniac who should never have been given the keys to the Ferrari. That being said, he is not the reason we lost…no one knows who Stephen Miller is in our districts.”

Various other administration officials have also had their share of responsibility for the fallout from Tuesday’s midterm massacre, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Trump himself.

But the president and those around him blamed the quality of the candidates, arguing that in many cases the president campaigned harder than some of the people he supported had done for themselves.

And in his Truth Social article announcing Miller’s promotion, Trump called him one of his “most trusted advisors.” He later told reporters that Miller would “do a great job.”

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., arrives at a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol July 21, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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When Fox News Digital contacted the White House for comment, spokesperson Lauren Bis said Miller “has been a key player in implementing President Trump’s America First agenda since day one.”

“He led the administration’s crackdown on crime, including in Washington DC and Memphis, record deregulation, unleashed American energy, dismantled drug cartels and secured our border. In his new role, he will continue to deliver historic successes for the American people,” Bis said.

Bis also highlighted a list of positive comments about Miller from administration officials and members of Congress.

“Very grateful to Susie for her friendship and service to the President and our country. Stephen Miller is an extraordinary patriot and will do great things. Congratulations to him on a well-deserved promotion!” » said Vice President JD Vance.

“Stephen Miller has a proven track record of securing our borders, fighting crime, and advancing a common-sense conservative agenda that is now sorely needed for our country,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris.

A White House official told Fox News Digital Miller has experience working with Democrats on DC’s Safe and Beautiful task force and has been a “valuable and trusted aide” since 2016.