Trump shares video of incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller praising the president

President Donald Trump shared a video Friday night of incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller effusively praising and swearing his “absolute loyalty” to the president.

“If it wasn’t for president Trump, the United States of America would not exist right now,” Miller says in the video. “He saved our military from collapse. He saved our economy from destruction. He saved our border from annihilation. And he saved our country from threats at home and abroad which would have been the end of the American dream forever.”

The video appeared to have been filmed at Friday’s Conservative Political Action Conference event at Mar-a-Lago by right-wing commentator Joey Mannarino. In the footage, Trump describes Miller as “a very hot commodity,” joking that he would be let go if he eclipsed the president.

“He saved the Republican Party from the ash heap of history and has made it stronger, more popular, and more resilient than ever before,” Miller says. (It bears noting that this remark comes just days after the GOP suffered a historic drubbing in the midterm elections, losing both the House and Senate as well as a spate of governorships.)

Susie Wiles, the previous chief of staff, stepped down from the administration Thursday. Trump announced Friday that Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, would take over as chief of staff on Monday, Nov. 9.

On Friday, Trump said he “wanted to make a change” in response to reporter questions about the move. “I think Susie's done a very good job, great job, but I just wanted to make [a change].”

Later in the day, he denied that the election had prompted a shake-up: “No, not because of the election. It's just time. Sometimes you change.”

He also repeated his claim that the midterm election loss was not his fault. “The election wasn't my election,” Trump said. “I wasn't on the ballot. If I was on the ballot, you saw the rallies.”

Asked Oct. 16 whether he was "shopping around for a new chief of staff," Trump said, "No," calling a Politico report on the subject "fake news." He added: "Susie is here and she's gonna be here for a long time." Three weeks later, he is replacing her.

CNN, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported Friday that Trump blamed the election losses in part on Wiles. Axios quoted a source saying Trump “couldn't get it out of his head that she was to blame, not him.”