On Tuesday night, Donald Trump said he was ready to work with Democrats after Republicans suffered what the source described as a historic midterm defeat. By Friday, he had announced a White House shakeup that pointed sharply toward more confrontation, not cooperation.

Trump announced that Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. Miller, a staunch Trump defender and immigration hardliner who helped execute the president’s mass deportation agenda, is set to take over on Nov. 9.

The announcement represented a remarkable reversal from Trump’s position only a few weeks earlier. Asked during a brief question and answer session whether he was considering replacing Wiles, Trump answered, “Zero chance,” then added, “Zero.”

Trump acted annoyed by the suggestion and delivered an emphatic endorsement of Wiles. “She’s smart. She’s tough. She just went through a lot with the cancer surgery and the whole thing, and she recovered, fully recovered. She’s phenomenal. … Susie is here and she’s going to be here for a long time.”

Three weeks later, Trump said Wiles would leave the chief of staff position. According to a statement Trump published on his social media platform, she “will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation.”

The shakeup followed major Republican losses in the midterm elections. Democrats won control of the Senate with 54 seats to Republicans’ 44, while an MS NOW estimate showed Democrats winning the House with 256 seats to Republicans’ 170.

Democrats also held 28 governorships compared with 20 for Republicans. The results amounted to a resounding rejection of Trump’s party and set the stage for sizable Democratic majorities in Congress.

Presidents commonly reorganize their teams after difficult midterm elections, especially when their party suffers significant losses. Such changes are typically intended to correct failures, respond to voters and improve the administration’s ability to govern.

Trump’s decision to elevate Miller suggested the opposite approach. Rather than moving toward compromise, the president selected an aide identified with aggressive immigration policies, partisan confrontation and Trump’s most radical impulses.

Earlier this year, The Atlantic described Miller as the White House aide who transforms Trump’s “most incendiary impulses into policy.” His elevation therefore offered powerful evidence that Trump had absorbed exactly the wrong lesson from the voters’ verdict.

That message stood in jarring contrast with Trump’s comments as the election results became clear. Trump told The New York Times, “We’ll, you know, look forward to working with” Democrats and added, “We’ll probably work something out.”

Trump delivered a similar message during a brief CBS News interview. “My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country.”

Just three days later, Trump put Miller in charge of the White House staff. The choice signaled that cooperation with the incoming Democratic led Congress was hardly the administration’s real priority.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who will likely soon chair the Senate Armed Services Committee, condemned the decision. “Days after Americans nationwide historically rebuked the Trump administration’s excesses, cost increases, and chaos, President Trump is making it clear he is refusing to listen. Instead, it appears he is doubling down on the disastrous policies and personnel that voters resoundingly rejected.”

Reed also offered a blunt assessment of Trump’s incoming chief of staff. “Stephen Miller is an extremist, polarizing figure who has dedicated his career trying to roll back the rights of every American.”

The staffing decision comes as Trump has focused his attention on vanity projects involving the Reflecting Pool, a ballroom, a helipad and designating the Oval Office as a national monument. The source described those aesthetic priorities as indefensible even before Miller’s promotion made the governing situation more alarming.

If Trump remains consumed by renovations and interior design, Miller could functionally oversee the executive branch until January 2029. Rather than treating the midterm results as a demand for correction, Trump is digging in and preparing to spend his final two years pursuing an even more confrontational course.