Trump's Elevation of Stephen Miller Shows He Learned Nothing From the Midterm Rebuke
Source: Ian Prasad Philbrick. "Stephen Miller as the new chief of staff shows Trump has not learned anything from the midterms blue wave.." November 6, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
Right after voters handed his party a big defeat, Trump said he would work with Democrats, then days later made hardline immigration adviser Stephen Miller his chief of staff. The author argues this shows Trump hasn't changed course and will keep pushing the same divisive policies that voters just rejected.
Conclusion
By promoting Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff just days after a historic midterm defeat, Trump has shown he has not learned from the voters' rebuke and will likely spend the rest of his term doubling down on confrontational immigration policies and the same priorities that cost Republicans power.
Premises
- Trump struck a conciliatory, chastened tone after the midterms, but it lasted less than three days before he named Miller chief of staff.
- Presidents who lose midterms typically make personnel changes that signal a reset or a move toward the center (e.g., Obama replacing Emanuel with Daley), whereas Miller is one of the administration's most despised and extreme figures, with a long record of bigotry and a central role in controversial immigration enforcement such as Operation Metro Surge.
- Trump reportedly privately acknowledged that Miller's deportation zeal had 'gone too far,' and evidence suggests immigration backlash, especially among Latino voters, helped drive the Republican losses, yet he promoted Miller anyway.
- Trump's pattern of behavior is to seek scapegoats (reportedly blaming outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles), reward loyalty, and seek reassurance from his core base rather than confront defeat.
- After the 2018 midterms Trump also sounded conciliatory but then pursued confrontation, ending in a record-long government shutdown over border wall funding.
- Other administration signals point to continuity rather than course correction: DHS and Vance statements that deportations continue, and Trump's push on the ballroom, triumphal arch, and AI data centers despite voter rejection of these priorities.
Assumptions
- The midterm results were primarily a voter rejection of Trump's policies and priorities (especially immigration) rather than due to other factors.
- A personnel choice is a reliable indicator of future policy direction and of whether a president has 'learned' from an election.
- The conciliatory remarks on election night reflected a genuine possibility of change, not mere rhetoric.
- Learning from the election would mean moderating or compromising with Democrats.
- Trump's behavior after 2018 is a good predictor of his behavior after 2026.
- Reports based on anonymous sources and private admissions are accurate.