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IrelandJennings defends Miller as Tillis warns of trouble with Congress
The chief-of-staff appointment exposes contrasting Republican views of whether Trump needs a loyal fighter or a change of direction after the midterms.
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Why this story? One of CNN's most watched videos since yesterday, with 999,080 views.
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Miller is ‘the worst of all possible choices’: Reactions to Trump’s new chief of staff
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:07Tillis calls Miller the worst possible choice and links Republican losses to border and Homeland Security mismanagement.
- 3:07Tillis contrasts his respect for Wiles with his warning that Miller will antagonize Congress and allies.
- 5:55Burns reports that Katie Miller lobbied behind the scenes to help her husband secure the role.
- 9:36Jennings defends Miller as an effective manager and loyal aide carrying out Trump's policies.
- 11:08Archival footage shows Attorney General Todd Blanche declaring that he is Stephen Miller's lawyer.
- 14:30Jennings notes Trump's support for Hegseth amid anticipated House impeachment proceedings.
Scott Jennings sees an effective manager carrying out the president's wishes. Senator Thom Tillis sees someone who will antagonize Congress and America's allies. Their sharply different assessments frame the reaction to Stephen Miller's promotion to White House chief of staff.
The U.S. broadcaster CNN (Cable News Network) brings those arguments together in coverage of Miller replacing Susie Wiles after Republican midterm losses. Miller is a longtime Trump aide closely associated with the administration's hardline immigration agenda.
Speaking to Jake Tapper, Tillis calls the appointment "the worst of all possible choices." The North Carolina Republican argues that mismanagement of border and Homeland Security policy contributed to his party's election losses. He says he respected Wiles, but believes choosing Miller compounds the problem rather than addressing it, and urges Trump to reconsider.
In Anderson Cooper's panel discussion, Jennings offers the counterargument: Miller is a fighter, a capable manager and a loyal aide implementing policies that belong to Trump. "It's the president's immigration policy. He's an immigration hawk," Jennings says. His defense places responsibility for the agenda with the president rather than treating Miller as its independent author.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod draws the opposite conclusion about Miller's suitability, describing him as intensely polarizing. POLITICO's Dasha Burns adds reporting about Katie Miller's behind-the-scenes efforts to help her husband secure the job. Burns characterizes Stephen Miller's appeal to Trump in personal terms: "Stephen Miller is a security blanket for the president."
The discussion also includes footage of Attorney General Todd Blanche telling Fox News host Laura Ingraham, "Stephen Miller has a lawyer. It's me." It closes by broadening to other possible White House changes, with Jennings noting Trump's defense of Pete Hegseth amid anticipated House impeachment proceedings.
The disagreement running through the report is about what the election result demands: Tillis wants Trump to rethink his approach, while Jennings defends an appointment built around executing the president's existing policies.
A Republican who has represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2015. He previously served as speaker of the state's House of Representatives.
More on Wikipedia ›A political adviser who served as a senior adviser to Trump and led White House speechwriting during Trump's first administration.
More on Wikipedia ›A Republican political consultant and lobbyist who served as White House chief of staff from 2025 to 2026. She was the first woman to hold the job.
More on Wikipedia ›The U.S. attorney general, confirmed in August 2026 after serving in an acting capacity since April. He previously served as deputy attorney general.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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💡 Test your knowledge
Which publication does panelist Dasha Burns represent?
Burns appears in the report as a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.