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EXCLUSIVE: A memo outlining the new White House hierarchy under chief of staff Stephen Miller circulated within the Trump administration this week and details how cabinet secretaries will now have more control over their own messaging.
It’s a change from what insiders say was an administration-wide communications oversight implemented by former chief of staff Susie Wiles during the first two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.
“This will streamline the Cabinet, making it a more effective instrument for the president, where before it was too constrained,” a source familiar with the message told Fox News Digital.
The memo was sent by Miller’s office after he took office Monday. It was a memo on administrative matters and personnel changes, the source said.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles sits in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump signs an executive order, at the White House in Washington, DC, December 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
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“The position of White House Cabinet Secretary will be replaced by the role of Director of Cabinet Relations, focused on supporting and strengthening President Trump’s formidable Cabinet Secretaries,” details the memo seen by Fox News Digital.
“Each chief of staff is the best leader and communicator for his or her individual department, and this new position will ensure that our Cabinet has the resources and support from the White House to deliver rapid, crucial, and lasting victories for the American people,” the memo continued.
Another source familiar with day-to-day administrative operations believes the memo signals a shift in communications policy, giving different agencies the ability to control their own messaging now that Miller has become chief of staff.
Stephen Miller listens during a meeting with President Donald Trump and oil company executives in the East Room of the White House, January 9, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
The source said that previously they believed Wiles had a stranglehold on almost all administration communications and that there was “a lot of prescriptive direction” from Wiles’ camp.
“I mean, to me it reflects well on Miller and his team and I think it’s really smart to make these moves pretty clear, to communicate clearly and effectively, you know?” ” the source said, speaking about the political shakeup described in the memo.
The source added that the policy change “allows the Cabinet to be the captain of its own ship.”
“Rather, it is a recognition that it is impossible to effectively micromanage an organization of this magnitude and that sometimes it would be better to trust and invest in a support system that uplifts the people closest to the problems,” the source said.
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President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, May 27, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
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A former Trump administration official criticized Wiles’ management style much more directly.
“She wants total authority,” the source said.
“Control doesn’t come from, ‘Hey, you have to do this.’ Control comes from the threat of coercion. Like, ‘If you don’t do this, I’m going to destroy you in the media,'” they continued. “The problem is, she made it very clear. ‘I can’t control (Trump). I can control everything else.'”
The source accused Wiles of approaching Cabinet secretaries and warning them that if they said anything off-script in the media, the GOP’s midterm election losses would be blamed on them.
President Donald Trump hosts a luncheon with members of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees alongside Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at the White House in Washington, DC, March 16, 2026. (Annabelle Gordon/AFP via Getty Images)
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“It’s absolute control,” the source said.
The memo also highlights some hierarchical changes within the administration, indicating that the Director of the Presidential Calendar and the Office of the Presidential Calendar will report directly to Chamberlain Harris, deputy director of Outer Oval Operations.
It also confirms earlier reports that Caleb Orr, former assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, will become chief of staff for policy.
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a press briefing at the White House on November 9, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
“The White House will conduct a clear and regular policy process through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the National Security Advisor, with clearly defined responsibilities and missions and no overlapping policy portfolios,” the memo said.
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Wiles did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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