White House Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Walters is leaving the administration, the first major departure in an expected staff shakeup as incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller takes charge, Axios reported on Sunday.
The exit of one of outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles’ allies signals a changing of the guard inside the West Wing, with Miller’s team poised to move into more powerful roles, according to the report.
Walters was one of Wiles’ closest political lieutenants, with a relationship stretching back more than a decade.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Walters is leaving the administration as Stephen Miller takes over from Susie Wiles following Republicans’ midterm losses. Walters, a longtime Wiles ally, is the first major departure in an expected West Wing shakeup. His exit signals a shift in power toward Miller’s team, though both sides described the departure as amicable. Source: Axios
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Walters offered his resignation Friday, and his departure was amicable, according to a person familiar with the matter.
President Donald Trump tapped Miller on Friday to replace Wiles as chief of staff after Republicans’ midterm losses.
“Serving President Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and I will always be thankful to Susie Wiles for the opportunity,” Walters told Axios in a statement.
“Stephen is building an incredible and capable team to implement the President’s agenda and I look forward to being part of it from the outside,” Walters added.
Miller praised Walters and said he would continue helping the administration from outside the White House.
“Richard has been an invaluable member of the White House and has helped deliver some of the Administration’s biggest victories,” Miller told Axios in a statement.
“While he will be leaving us, Richard will continue to help from the outside as we continue to work with all of our strength to deliver for President Trump and his courageous fight to Save America.”
Walters is a veteran Republican operative who served as the longest-tenured chief of staff in Republican National Committee history.
He played a major role in all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns and served as executive director of Trump’s 2025 inaugural committee.
Source: Axios (edited by Al-Manar)