President Donald Trump’s choice of Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff is angering House Republicans. Several of them told Fox News that Miller’s immigration crackdown helped cost the party Congress.
“Horrible decision,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) told Fox News Digital on Friday after Trump announced the promotion.
Another GOP lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were in “utter disbelief.”
According to the outlet, multiple House Republicans said Miller should be fired, in interviews conducted just moments before Trump named him to replace Susie Wiles. One of those lawmakers was later asked about the promotion and replied with a facepalm emoji.
Republicans lost both chambers in Tuesday’s midterms. Fox reported that Democrats are on pace to win more than 250 House seats and at least 54 in the Senate. Voter analyses show Trump’s Iran war and tariffs played the biggest roles, but the outlet said his handling of immigration also turned away voters in key areas. Hispanic and Latino voters in particular moved back toward Democrats in states like Texas.
“Because of his immigration positions, I just think we ruined a lot of our goodwill with Latino voters,” Stutzman said.
The anonymous lawmaker told Fox that House Republicans had warned Miller repeatedly that his crackdown was backfiring.
“I’ve been in several group meetings where a lot of us have told him, ‘Your immigration enforcement policies are backfiring back home, our people are mad, our businesses are mad — even in deep red districts — and it is impacting not just the voters, but the donors, and everybody top to bottom,’” the lawmaker said. “But it looked to me like Stephen Miller was only after numbers … he would not listen to us.”
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said before the promotion was announced that Miller had “greatly hurt the administration and cost us many seats on Tuesday.”
“He took an immigration policy that favored the president 2:1 in the public, over-reached and made it 2:1 unfavorable,” Bacon said. When asked about the promotion, he added: “Many Republicans don’t like him.”
Another GOP lawmaker didn’t hold back either.
“Stephen is a megalomaniac who should have never been given the keys to the Ferrari,” that lawmaker said. They added, though, that Miller is “not the reason why we lost…no one knows who Stephen Miller is in our districts.”
The White House defended the pick. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the outlet that Miller “has been a key player in delivering on President Trump’s America First agenda since day one” and “will continue to deliver historic successes for the American people.”
Vice President JD Vance called Miller “an amazing patriot” who “will do great things.” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) praised Miller’s “proven record focused on securing our border, combating crime, and advancing a now much-needed common-sense conservative agenda.”
Trump called Miller one of his “most trusted advisors” and told reporters that he would “do a great job.”
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