72 hours: The window Tillis says Trump missed on chief of staff pick
Sen. Thom Tillis calls Stephen Miller’s appointment a colossal mistake, arguing the White House promoted a polarizing figure just after Republicans lost 42 House seats.
By Leila Mansour ·
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) described President Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff as a "colossal mistake" made just 72 hours after the midterm elections. Tillis told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday that the president "needs to rethink" the choice, marking a sharp public split within the Republican caucus.
The timeline of the shakeup follows a rough night for the GOP. Republicans lost at least seven Senate seats and 42 House seats as of Friday, with several races still undecided. Trump announced the swap on Friday, replacing Susie Wiles with Miller, a move Tillis characterized as a reaction to events that had already unfolded.
Miller, who architected the administration’s aggressive immigration tactics, has been a central figure in the party’s recent political struggles. In early 2026, federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation. Miller later referred to the victims as domestic terrorists, a comment that Tillis cited as evidence of Miller’s polarizing nature.
Tillis argued that the president’s approval rating hit a career low before Election Day due to these tactics. "This past Tuesday, Republicans lost because we lost the narrative on the border, a success that the president should have been heralding," Tillis said. He noted that promoting Miller now places a highly partisan figure at the top of the administration’s hierarchy.
The move appears contradictory to recent reports. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told aides just after election night that Miller’s immigration campaign had gone too far. Tillis said it "doesn't make sense" to promote the architect of a losing strategy. "What was inappropriate is to take a guy who made us lose on the immigration issue," he stated.
Tillis, a frequent critic of Trump’s inner circle, has previously clashed with administration figures. In March, he called then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "disappointed" in her job performance. In January, he compared Noem and Miller to "sycophants" in a viral social media post.
The political fallout in North Carolina was severe. Tillis announced he would not run for reelection, and Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.) won the open seat by nearly 20 points. Democrats flipped five of the state’s congressional seats, with five races still outstanding according to Decision Desk HQ.
