Richard Walters is leaving the White House as Stephen Miller prepares to take over as chief of staff, marking the first major departure from President Donald Trump’s senior team since the leadership change was announced.
Walters, a close ally of outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles, submitted his resignation on Friday, according to Axios. His departure was described as amicable, and he is expected to continue supporting the Trump administration from outside the White House.
In a statement, Walters said serving the president had been “the honour of a lifetime” and thanked Wiles for giving him the opportunity to work in the administration.
“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,” he said.
Miller confirmed the departure and praised Walters as an “invaluable member” of the White House who had helped deliver some of the administration’s biggest victories.
“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,” Miller said.
Walters was appointed deputy chief of staff in May 2026, having previously served as executive director of the inaugural committee for Trump and Vice-President JD Vance. He was also a senior Republican operative and had worked on all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns.
His exit comes as Miller begins assembling his own leadership team after Trump announced on Friday, 6 November, that he would replace Wiles as chief of staff. Miller is due to assume the post on Monday, 9 November.
The change follows heavy Republican losses in the midterm elections, which handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress and prompted a wider reassessment of the Trump administration’s political strategy.
The White House has presented Wiles’s departure as an amicable transition. Trump said she would continue working with his political operation after leaving the chief of staff role.
