President Donald Trump has chosen Stephen Miller as his next White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller will take the job on Monday. The announcement came days after Republicans lost their majority in Congress in the midterm elections, a result that has left the party arguing about what went wrong.
A different kind of chief of staff
Miller is best known as the architect of Trump's hard-line immigration policy and as one of the president's most combative advisers. The chief of staff role is usually given to an operator who manages paperwork, staff and relationships with Congress. Putting Miller in the post points to a different approach: fewer negotiations, more confrontation.
BBC reporting described the pick as a signal that Trump is preparing for a battle rather than a reset. With Democrats set to control Congress, the White House will need votes for spending bills and confirmations. A chief of staff known for fighting may make those votes harder to find. Supporters argue that the president wants a loyal voice who will not soften his agenda under pressure from lawmakers.
Mississippi still counting
The Senate map is not fully settled. In Mississippi, Democratic candidate Scott Colon and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith are separated by a margin narrow enough that lawyers for both campaigns are preparing for a recount fight. Officials have not declared a winner.
The result matters beyond one seat. Every additional Senate race decides how much room the new majority has, and how much resistance the White House can expect on appointments and budgets.
Pushback closer to home
There were other signs of a shifting political mood. In Houston, Mayor John Whitmire instructed police to limit cooperation with federal immigration agents. The order followed months of public anger after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who was driving to work.
Trump also raised eyebrows in the Oval Office by asking UFC president Dana White to become his press secretary. It was unclear how serious the offer was, though White said he would travel to Washington to discuss it. A federal judge, meanwhile, blocked construction of the president's planned 250-foot arch after a federal agency had approved it.