Stephen Miller

thumb|We live in a world...that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time. Stephen Miller (born August 23, 1985) is an American political advisor who has served as deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security Advisor in President Donald Trump's second term since January 2025. Previously, he served as a senior advisor for policy and White House director of speechwriting to President Trump in his first term (2017–2021). Before then, he was communications director for then-Senator Jeff Sessions. He was also a press secretary for U.S. representatives Michele Bachmann and John Shadegg. Miller's politics have been described as far-right and anti-immigration. Quotes thumb|Am I the only one who is sick and tired of being told to pick up my trash when we have plenty of janitors who are paid to do it for us. thumb|The President has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus. 2000–2015 Am I the only one who is sick and tired of being told to pick up my trash when we have plenty of janitors who are paid to do it for us. Stump speech while running for student government at Santa Monica High School (2000-2003) One way in which feminists try to remedy the disparity is to legally mandate paid leave for female employees who give birth, even if a company is struggling to stay afloat. Such laws provide powerful incentives for bosses-male or female-not to hire women to begin with. Of course, it's easy to support such legislation until you end up getting laid off because your boss was losing too much money by paying absent employees. Opinion column, "Sorry feminists", The Chronicle (22 November 2005) Shows like Queer As Folk, The "L" Word, Will & Grace and Sex and the City, all do their part to promote alternative lifestyles and erode traditional values. Opinion column, "Hollywood and the culture war", The Chronicle (11 January 2006) The one thing people crave above all else at this moment in history in the people they send to Washington is authenticity — people who are real, and in person, in private and in public the same person — people of character and integrity and dignity — people you can rely on to defend your interests and your values and to never be persuaded or influenced or manipulated by forces and interests and people who do not have the interests of America at heart...One of the things we’re missing from our political dialogue right now is the idea that the United States is a home. It is more than an accounting sheet. It is more than the sum of its GDP, its total tax collections or its total outlays. America is a family. America is the place that we love, to whom we give our loyalty and our allegiance and our devotion.But Washington has forgotten for too long that it owes its loyalty, dedication and devotion to the citizens of this country who call it home. Washington does not serve the interests of people living overseas or corporations headquartered all across this globe, but the real flesh and blood citizens who together create this nation, this home. Introducing Jeff Sessions at a political event (2014); Cliff Sims, "Meet the former Sessions staffer behind Trump’s historic RNC speech", Yellowhammer News (July 21, 2016) 2016–2024 Everybody who stands against Donald Trump are the people who’ve been running this country into the ground. They’re the people who’ve been controlling the levers of power. They’re the people who are responsible for our open border, for our shrinking middle class, for our terrible trade deals. Everything that is wrong with this country today, the people opposing Donald J. Trump are responsible for. Remarks at a rally in Dallas, TX; reported in Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett, "Elite Republicans tried to ignore them. Now they’re shaping Donald Trump’s immigration policy", Los Angeles Times (July 4, 2016) Acosta: What the President is proposing here does not sound like it's in keeping with American tradition when it comes to immigration. The Statue of Liberty says, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." It doesn't say anything about speaking English or being a computer programmer. Aren't you trying to change what it means to an immigrant coming into this country if you're telling them you have to speak English? Can't people learn to speak English when they get here?Miller: Well, first of all, right now it's a requirement to be naturalized; you have to speak English. So the notion that speaking English wouldn't be a part of the immigration system would actually be very ahistorical. Secondly, I don't want to get off into a whole thing about history here, but the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of liberty enlightening the world; it's a symbol of American liberty lighting the world. The poem that you're referring to was added later; is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty. Acosta: This whole notion of they have to learn English before they get to the United States: are we just going to bring in people from Great Britain and Australia?Miller: I am shocked at your statement, that you think only people from Great Britain and Australia would know English. It actually reveals your cosmopolitan, er, bias, to a shocking degree, that in your mind... No, this an amazing moment... Acosta: It sounds like you're trying to engineer the racial and ethnic flow of people into this country through this policy.Miller: Jim, that is one of the most outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish things you've ever said, and for you that's still a really... The notion that you think that this is a racist bill is so wrong and so insulting. Questioned by CNN's Jim Acosta during a briefing on legislation that would seek to curtail legal immigration and create a new points-based green card system (August 2, 2017); "Trump Adviser, Reporter Clash Over Immigration", Associated Press, YouTube (August 3, 2017) There are 7 billion people in the world. Most of them are good, hardworking, decent, honest, principled people. But the reality is there's a limit to how many people any country can bring in. And we as a country have a right to say we want to bring people based on their ability to contribute to our economy, to be safe, productive citizens, and to uplift the nation as a whole. Interview by Tucker Carlson, "Tucker Carlson Tonight", Fox News (January 2018); Ian Schwartz, "Tucker Carlson Interviews Stephen Miller on CNN-Tapper Fiasco, Immigration, Chain Migration, The Wall", RealClearPolitics (January 8, 2018) Far from the images of 1960s kids rebelling against power, most of my classmates who were upset by the things I was saying ... wanted to have a more disciplined administrative environment with stronger, tougher rules about what you can and can’t say—set by adult authority figures! On his classmates at Santa Monica High. Interview by McKay Coppins, "Stephen Miller: Trump's Right-Hand Troll", The Atlantic (May 28, 2018) I've always been a nonconformist. I think that nonconformity is part of the American DNA. And in today's culture, the nonconformists are conservatives. Interview by McKay Coppins, "Stephen Miller: Trump's Right-Hand Troll", The Atlantic (May 28, 2018) The Democrats are fighting for illegal aliens. Donald Trump is fighting for American citizens. That's what this whole thing is about. You have covered this better than probably anybody for years. You understand this is about sovereignty. It's about working men and women. It's about safe communities. It's about wages, living conditions, quality of life. This is the battle right now right before our very eyes. Interview by Laura Ingraham on her FOX News show (December 13, 2018); reported in Ian Schwartz, "Stephen Miller: Democrats Fighting For Illegal Aliens, Trump Fighting For American Citizens", RealClearPolitics (December 14, 2018) I would be happy if not a single refugee foot ever again touched American soil. Attributed by former White House communications aide Cliff Sims, Team of Vipers (2019); reported in "Book says Trump adviser Stephen Miller spoke harshly about refugees", NBC News (January 29, 2019) Immigration is an emotional issue. And it ought to be an emotional issue because it affects people’s lives. Reported in Sulette Ferreira, "Emigration: The profound psychological pain of those left behind", Daily Maverick (April 19, 2024) 2025–present The president is the sole head of the executive branch. So there's 15 communist crazy judges on the court that, each of them working together, can block and freeze each and every executive action? "Stephen Miller tussles with CNN anchor over ‘crazy communist judges’", The Hill (May 30, 2025) The People ask me what emotions I am feeling right now. There is incredible sadness, there is incredible anger. And the thing about anger is that unfocused anger or blind rage is not a productive emotion, but focused anger, righteous anger, directed for a just cause is one of the most important agents of change in human history. And we are gonna channel all of the anger that we have over the organized campaign that led to this assassination to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks. Stephen Miller discusses the death of Charlie Kirk with Vice President JD Vance, The Charlie Kirk Show (September 15, 2025) Talafreako needs to release the medical records (if they exist at all). "Stephen Miller’s Medical Records Demand Blows Up in His Boss’ Face" Daily Beast / Yahoo News (October 11, 2026) The Lead with Jake Tapper (5 January 2026) From the transcript of an interview on The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN (5 January 2026) We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time. ... [W]e are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. Remarks on US strikes in Venezuela The President has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus ... [T]hat has been the formal position of the U.S. government since the beginning of this administration, frankly, going back into the previous Trump administration, that Greenland should be part of the United States. The President has been very clear about that. That is the formal position of the U.S. government. Remarks on US policy towards Greenland. See: Foreign policy of the first Trump administration · Foreign policy of the second Trump administration · American expansionism under Donald Trump It wouldn't be military action against Greenland. The Greenland has a population of 30,000 people, Jake. The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark? The United States is the power of NATO, for the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests. Obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States. The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States. There's no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you're asking of a military operation. Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. See also: Proposed United States acquisition of Greenland Quotes about Stephen Miller thumb|Stephen Miller (from that special category of American military-age males who nevertheless somehow Perpetually Evaded the GWOT, or PEG). ~ Duffel Blog thumb|Military service is about much more than a uniform. It is a claim on citizenship, national belonging, and who counts as a “real American” and a patriot. As Frederick Douglass observed during the Civil War, “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” Trump, Hegseth, Stephen Miller and the other architects of the MAGA movement know this is true, which is why they’re pushing back so hard. ~ Chauncey DeVega thumb|He’s arguing for his right to leave his trash behind. And he seems to want to be cheered for it. ~ David Holmes thumb|Miller could have been taking a surf lesson, eating some Dippin’ Dots, or watching a majestic sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Instead, he’s sneering to a crowd about his right as a white person to leave his mess behind for a brown person to clean up. ~ David Holmes thumb| Stephen Miller: policy advisor and vitamin-D-deficient Minion. You might well think that's unfair, anyone can find a photo of someone looking a bit like a Minion. But with Miller, it is genuinely hard to find a photo of him not looking like a Minion. ~ John Oliver Trump adviser Stephen Miller, considered the administration’s “brains,” says that “the real world” is governed by “strength,” “by force,” and “by power.” “The United States,” he says, “is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere. We’re a superpower.” The U.S. is supposed to be different, but Trump sees the world as an extension of himself — a place where bullies gain wealth and power by mistreating others and controlling them with fear. William S. Becker, "America was supposed to be different —now Trump rules it with fear ", The Hill (January 12, 2026) Military service is about much more than a uniform. It is a claim on citizenship, national belonging, and who counts as a “real American” and a patriot. As Frederick Douglass observed during the Civil War, “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” Trump, Hegseth, Stephen Miller and the other architects of the MAGA movement know this is true, which is why they’re pushing back so hard. Hegseth has called the phrase “diversity is our strength” the “single dumbest phrase in military history.” Black History Month and other celebrations of America’s racial and ethnic diversity are, in his vision, dead.Hegseth has been accused of advancing a militant version of White Christian nationalism and is working to infuse its values throughout the military. He has repeatedly framed America’s war against Iran—a Muslim nation—as a holy war and religious crusade. “His vision, stated repeatedly in media briefings and other public remarks, is seen by many as a form of Christian nationalism, an ideology that seeks to fuse American identity and government with a specific, conservative form of Christianity,” Anna Mulrine and Sophie Hills wrote in the Christian Science Monitor. Chauncey DeVega, "The military helped Black Americans find belonging. Pete Hegseth wants to reverse course", Salon, 22 June 2026 Stephen Miller (from that special category of American military-age males who nevertheless somehow Perpetually Evaded the GWOT, or PEG). Duffel Blog, "Top 10 countries Trump will send you to attack rather than release the Epstein files" (January 14, 2026) Miller is a long-standing member of Trump’s camp, having served as a close aide in the president-elect’s first campaign and a senior advisor in his first White House administration. He helped shape rigid immigration deterrence policies during Trump’s first term, like separating migrant children from their parents and pitching a highly controversial travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries. Miller remained intently focused on this matter during the final weeks of Trump’s second presidential campaign, assuring the American people that mass deportations will be a top priority when the president-elect returns to office. Yasmeen Freightman, "‘His Own Family Disowned Him’: Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pick, Stephen Miller, Called a ‘Despicable Human Being’ As Reactions Pour In from Political Pundits", Atlanta Black Star, 11 November 2024 Miller made headlines in 2019 after it was discovered that he was sending white nationalist literature and propaganda to news editors at the hard-right news organization Breitbart. A former Breitbart writer leaked more than 900 emails to the Southern Poverty Law Center revealing that several of Miller’s immigration policy proposals were modeled after the extremist source materials. After Trump was ousted from office in 2020, Miller founded and led the America First Legal conservative organization, which served as the bedrock for a sweeping anti-DEI movement, filing numerous discrimination lawsuits alleging that “anti-white racism” was rampant in corporations and colleges and universities. America First Legal was behind the litigation that led to the landmark 6-3 Supreme Court decision last summer declaring race-based affirmative action college admissions policies unconstitutional. Yasmeen Freightman, "‘His Own Family Disowned Him’: Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pick, Stephen Miller, Called a ‘Despicable Human Being’ As Reactions Pour In from Political Pundits", Atlanta Black Star, 11 November 2024 White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller says he’s conducted careful analysis and decided that god intervened to make Donald Trump president for the 250th birthday of the United States. In a bizarre, sycophantic post on X on July 4, Miller wrote that the presidency was in Trump’s hands because god had made it so. “It is impossible to review the events of the last decade and conclude that it is anything other than divine providence that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States on the year of America 250, July 4th, 2026,” he claimed.Divine providence is a belief in god’s intervention in the universe. It implies that a higher being, creator, deity—who depends on the religion—built the universe and continues to guide events, sometimes even directly interfering.The statement, which positions Trump alongside revered figures in both Christianity and Judaism, like Moses—who god spoke to directly, gave his commandments, and parted a sea for—and the Virgin Mary—who god impregnated with a son—is the latest in a long line of bizarre attempts by members of the Trump administration, and even Trump himself, to position the president as an almost Christ-like figure.Trump faced immediate backlash earlier this year when he posted an AI image of himself as Jesus, healing a sick person.He later claimed he thought the image simply showed him dressed as a doctor, in the classic long draped robes of Jesus, with glowing light emanating from his hands and angels behind him. Sarah Jane-Collins, "Stephen Miller says ‘events of last decade’ prove Trump was sent by God", The Daily Beast, 4 July 2026 The post also suggests that Miller, a 2020 election “truther” who has always maintained that Trump won that election, is now conceding he lost. If god had intervened over the past decade to make Trump president in 2026, one of ‘god’s’ interventions would have had to be to make Trump lose in 2020. Miller’s hyperbolic worship of Trump is not new. In one incident in October 2025, Miller told Trump that the U.S. “was going to die” without him.Miller’s post was met with scathing responses on X. “You’re a deluded moron,” wrote one commenter. “It’s impossible to conclude that your post reflects anything but the promotion of a cult,” another said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sarah Jane-Collins, "Stephen Miller says ‘events of last decade’ prove Trump was sent by God", The Daily Beast, 4 July 2026 Stephen Miller: policy advisor and vitamin-D-deficient Minion. You might well think that's unfair, anyone can find a photo of someone looking a bit like a Minion. But with Miller, it is genuinely hard to find a photo of him not looking like a Minion. John Oliver on his Last Week Tonight show (August 6, 2017) The ICE activity we are protesting is allegedly being directed by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Miller called a meeting of ICE officials last month and directed them to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens.” Not to target “the worst of the worst,” as the president had indicated. Not even to target criminals or gang members at all. But to roll up to a Home Depot where day laborers gather. To post up outside of a grammar school graduation in a neighborhood with a high percentage of undocumented residents. Just go and grab them and pull them away from their homes and their babies and their lives. Just lock them up. Now that’s what they’re doing. That’s what we’re protesting. And if it turns out their papers actually are in order, which it has more than a few times, then tough shit. David Holmes, "I Was at the L.A. Protests. They’re Nothing Like What You’re Seeing on TV.", Esquire (June 11, 2025) There’s a video that made the rounds in the early days of the first Trump administration, when Miller was a lower-level spokesghoul. It’s our boy as a Santa Monica High School student and worth taking a fresh look at now that we know he’s one of the architects of this ICE campaign of random terror.There he is. The sneer for which he’d come to be known is already fully formed. His beard is largely too embarrassed to have anything to do with his face. He’s got the general look of someone you’d see juggling outside of a Barenaked Ladies show because he’s afraid to go inside the Barenaked Ladies show because someone in there might be doing pot. He’s arguing for his right to leave his trash behind. And he seems to want to be cheered for it.Los Angeles is crazy vast. Santa Monica High School is 12 miles from where I sit writing. If I left right now, I’d be there in an hour. But do you know what’s one half of one mile, one ten-minute walk away, from Santa Monica High School? The beach. A really nice, clean, and well-maintained beach, as a matter of fact. Miller could have been taking a surf lesson, eating some Dippin’ Dots, or watching a majestic sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Instead, he’s sneering to a crowd about his right as a white person to leave his mess behind for a brown person to clean up. David Holmes, "I Was at the L.A. Protests. They’re Nothing Like What You’re Seeing on TV.", Esquire (June 11, 2025) The cousin of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller accused him Thursday of being responsible for an ICE agent fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis. “When I called out my cousin for being the ‘face of evil’ I DID NOT stutter,” Alisa Kasmer wrote on Threads, referencing a Facebook post she made last year. “Renee Nicole Good’s death is blood on YOUR hands, Stephen. I’m just glad our grandparents are no longer alive to witness the shame you have brought to our family,” Kasmer added. [...] Kasmer, who lives in Miller’s Los Angeles hometown, where there were major protests last summer over ICE raids, publicly blasted him on Facebook in July, recalling babysitting him as a child and describing him as once “lovable and harmless” but now someone she could no longer support or tolerate. “I grieve what you’ve become, Stephen… I will never knowingly let evil into my life, no matter whose blood it carries—including my own,” she wrote at the time. Erin Keller, "Stephen Miller’s cousin blames him for the killing in Minneapolis", The Independent (January 10, 2026) Kasmer described a young Miller as an “awkward, funny, needy middle child who loved to chase attention” but was “always the sweetest with the littlest family members.” She added that he was “young, conservative, maybe misguided, but lovable and harmless.”“People always ask me, ‘What happened to you?’ I don't have a clear answer," Kasmer continued in July. “I can only surmise it was a perfect storm of ego, fear, hate, and ambition-all of it mangled into something cruel and hollow, masquerading as strength. You were born into privilege, into safety, and wealth. And somehow, you've weaponized all of it.”Kasmer has also accused Miller of hypocrisy, criticizing him for leading the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies that take away the very opportunities that once helped his own family come to the U.S. and build a life. “We’re Jewish—we grew up knowing how hated we were just for existing,” Kasmer told The New Republic in December. “Now he’s trying to take away the exact thing that his own family benefited from: that ability to create a life for themselves, to prosper, to build community, to have successful businesses—to live a rewarding life.” Erin Keller, "Stephen Miller’s cousin blames him for the killing in Minneapolis", The Independent (January 10, 2026) Somehow, Stephen Miller's hairline is even more jarring than his personality. But, while the White House deputy chief of staff for policy's hair, or rather lack thereof, is certainly a stylist's nightmare, his personality troubles many in Washington, D.C. Miller is the mastermind behind some of the Trump administration's most eyebrow-raising policies, specifically when it comes to immigration. As the architect of their mass deportation efforts — he's the one who set the goal of 3,000 arrests per day — Miller's aggressive approach has irked not only Democrats, but Republicans as well.In June 2025, Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Miller's conduct, arguing, "This is not what we voted for." While reiterating her support for President Donald Trump, Gracia professed that Miller's deportation spree was "unacceptable and inhumane." The senator added that she was "deeply disappointed" by his actions. Garcia's post was a response to Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, who also publicly criticized Miller's conduct.While agreeing that illegal immigrants with a history of criminal activity needed to be dealt with, Salazar pointed out that those already in the process of obtaining legal status or seeking asylum should get the chance to do so instead of being deported simply to fill Miller's lofty quotas. The Trump staffer has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike, making him arguably one of the most unpopular people in Washington these days (no small feat). Marica Laing, "Politicians Who Want Nothing To Do With Stephen Miller", The List, 13 March 2026 You don't need to be a political pundit to know that California Governor Gavin Newsom cannot stand Stephen Miller. Newsom has repeatedly compared Miller to Voldemort on social media, in viral posts, and he's continued to voice his disdain for the controversial Trump ally elsewhere too. Newsom's brutal roasts even knocked Donald Trump off his high horse, and Miller hasn't been spared. As Newsom attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026, his press office took to X to take a jab at Miller, whose strongman persona seemingly vanished when he bumped into the governor at the event.  Marica Laing, "Politicians Who Want Nothing To Do With Stephen Miller", The List, 13 March 2026 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might be Stephen Miller's colleague, but that doesn't necessarily mean he trusts him. The Trump loyalist has hinted that he's not Miller's biggest fan, and he did it in a none too subtle way on the White House staffer's wife's podcast, no less. When Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, sat down for an interview on the "Katie Miller Podcast" in December 2025, the defense secretary didn't exactly give Stephen a glowing review. Katie asked who in President Donald Trump's cabinet Hegseth would entrust with babysitting his kids, probably hoping that he'd plug her husband. Instead, Hegseth did the exact opposite, responding, "Not your husband. Or Marco [Rubio]." Marica Laing, "Politicians Who Want Nothing To Do With Stephen Miller", The List, 13 March 2026 Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar hasn't minced words when it comes to Stephen Miller. In April 2019, Omar decried Miller as "a white nationalist" (via CNN). This had President Donald Trump and Co. in a tizzy. He and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., rushed to social media to defend Miller and condemn Omar, but later that year, leaked emails from the White House staffer showed she wasn't far off in her assessment. From directing colleagues to white nationalist websites to recommending questionable books with gruesome racist rhetoric, they actually seemed to confirm Omar's assertion.The congresswoman continued to be highly critical of Miller during Trump's second term too. When tensions threatened to boil over in Minnesota, after ICE agents shot and killed two citizens, Omar called for Miller's head in a press briefing, along with then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's. "When we say it is time for Kristi Noem to go, we mean it now," she raged (via YouTube). The congresswoman elaborated, "When we say there needs to be accountability for the architect of the terror we are facing in Minneapolis and so many other cities, which is Stephen Miller, we mean we need accountability for him now." Marica Laing, "Politicians Who Want Nothing To Do With Stephen Miller", The List, 13 March 2026 There is a man in the West Wing who has no constituency, no caucus, no state, no voters — and yet he runs American immigration policy the way a landlord runs a building nobody thinks he should own. His name is Stephen Miller. And as of this week, the numbers are in. A new Race to the White House internal polling average covering 27 of the most recognizable political figures in the United States, found that Miller sits dead last. Not near the bottom. Not in a cluster. Last.Among voters who have formed an opinion about him — and 57% of Americans have — 68% view him unfavorably. That is a net favorability of negative 36 points, the worst mark on a list that includes Donald Trump, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, and Pam Bondi. He beat them all. Going the wrong way. Pablo Manriquez, "Nobody Likes Stephen Miller. The Numbers Finally Prove It.", Migrant Insider, 23 March 2026 Trump’s rhetoric in his speeches to the military has been awful—he has ridiculed former commanders in chief, castigated sitting elected officials, and told the members of America’s armed forces that other Americans are their enemies. But his actions are worse. In deploying troops to American cities, he has set up a confrontation in which military commanders may soon have to choose between obeying the president and obeying the law. “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” Judge Karin Immergut—a conservative Trump appointee—wrote last week when she blocked Trump’s attempt to send troops to Portland. The White House aide Stephen Miller likely foreshadowed Trump’s next moves, including possibly ignoring such rulings, when he lashed out at Immergut’s decision. Miller, a man who hates being called a fascist, made the fascistic accusation that a “large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country” is being “shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general.” Tom Nichols, "The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here", The Atlantic (October 7, 2025) Stephen Miller runs his daily 10 a.m. conference calls—yes, even on Saturdays—less like a government adviser and more like a wartime general. His is the dominant voice, as he plays the role of browbeater, inquisitor, and bully. He accepts no excuses, entertains no dissent. Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer & Nick Miroff, "The Wrath of Stephen Miller", The Atlantic, 7 January 2026 With less than a week before the U.S. midterm elections, far-right organizations, including one run by former Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller, are smothering half the country in anti-transgender propaganda.According to analysis from the Human Rights Campaign, extremist candidates and organizations like the the American Principles Project and Miller’s America First Legal, which describes itself as a right-wing “answer to the ACLU,” have together spent at least $50 million on anti-trans political advertising to reach voters in at least 25 states. The ads include popular conservative scaremongering over trans children, such as the false allegation that trans-affirming care will “sterilize” kids and that the Biden administration endorses “radical gender experiments on children.” Samantha Riedel, "$50 Million in Anti-Trans Radio Ads Are Airing in at Least 25 States", Them, 2 November 2022 Some of the entities behind the ads, including both APP and AFL, are legally nonprofits, which means that none of the TV, radio, or print ads endorse any specific candidate. Instead, their ads instruct voters to generally vote Republican, with messages like “tell Joe Biden and left-wing leaders across America ‘hands off our kids.’” One such mailer from the AFL targeted Latinx voters in Colorado, using misinformation from right-wing tabloid The Daily Wire alongside a picture of Biden administration official Rachel Levine, who is transgender. “What’s truly perverse is that these extremist groups are presenting themselves as fierce defenders of children, when we know that couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when you look at who’s backing them,” said HRC Interim President Joni Madison in a statement. Samantha Riedel, "$50 Million in Anti-Trans Radio Ads Are Airing in at Least 25 States", Them, 2 November 2022 Miller and the AFL, for their part, aren’t totally obsessed with anti-trans fearmongering; they’re also obsessed with “the left’s anti-white bigotry,” per another radio ad running in Georgia and Florida. Can someone stop this weird culture war carnival ride, please? We’d like to get off. Samantha Riedel, "$50 Million in Anti-Trans Radio Ads Are Airing in at Least 25 States", Them, 2 November 2022 Among the results of the backlash against the family-separation policy was the decision by David Glosser to speak out against his nephew Stephen Miller, sharing the history of his family's difficult journey to the United States in order to disprove the premises of the White House's approach to immigration. In 2018, he wrote in Politico about having "watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, an educated man who is well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family's life in this country." "I had a unique platform from which to speak," Glosser told me. "I had no choice other than to reveal the truth to the background of our family and how it relates to the background of the architect of this catastrophe." Miller, for his part, sees his family's ancestral home of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as having been harmed by "globalists" and the "owners of capital." Adam Serwer, The Cruelty is the Point (2021), p. 152 It's our blood and bonesAnd these whistles and phonesAgainst Miller and Noem's dirty lies Bruce Springsteen, "Streets of Minneapolis" (2026) In a 2024 campaign meeting, Donald Trump remarked that if it were left to Miller, there would be only 100 million people in the United States and they would all look like Stephen Miller. Quoted in "Book Reveals Stephen Miller’s Control Of U.S. Immigration Policy", Forbes (Jun 25, 2026). President-elect Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former president and first convicted felon to lead the United States, is about to bring Stephen Miller back to Washington, D.C., with a role in the White House—and this time, he’s giving him a level of power that has LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates bracing for impact. Known for his track record of hostility toward immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ+ communities, Miller is expected to serve as deputy chief of staff for policy, placing him in a prime position to reshape the administration’s agenda. His return signals a deeply troubling shift for marginalized communities, as Miller has spent years attacking LGBTQ+ rights and building policies rooted in white nationalist ideology. Christopher Wiggins, "Who is Stephen Miller, the anti-LGBTQ+ white supremacist Trump picked to be a deputy WH chief of staff?", Advocate, 13 November 2024 Miller has been a key player in Trump’s orbit for years, mostly credited as the architect behind some of the administration’s most extreme policies. During Trump’s first term, Miller, 38, was known as the mastermind of the Muslim travel ban, the brutal family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, and other policies defined by their rigid nativist approach. His ideology aligns closely with the “America First” agenda, a stance that many civil rights advocates recognize as thinly veiled white nationalism.Miller’s reputation as a white supremacist stems from leaked emails in 2019 that revealed he frequently shared articles from white nationalist sources, pushing conspiracies about non-white immigration “replacing” white Americans. His family has even spoken out against his hardline beliefs—Miller’s uncle publicly condemned his nephew’s policies as hypocritical, calling them an affront to their own family’s immigrant roots. Christopher Wiggins, "Who is Stephen Miller, the anti-LGBTQ+ white supremacist Trump picked to be a deputy WH chief of staff?", Advocate, 13 November 2024 In 2021, Miller founded America First Legal. Through AFL, Miller has aggressively attacked LGBTQ+ protections, civil rights laws, and reproductive rights, laying the groundwork for a broader, far-right agenda that AFL has detailed as a contributor to Project 2025, a draconian blueprint for Trump’s second term.Miller’s track record on LGBTQ+ rights is about as grim as it gets. For LGBTQ+ Americans, his record is one of relentless antagonism. America First Legal has launched some of the most high-profile anti-trans campaigns in recent history, including a 2022 ad blitz that falsely claimed Democrats were pushing “radical gender experiments” on children. These ads flooded swing-state airwaves and mailboxes with misinformation, stoking fears around gender-affirming care with baseless warnings of child “sterilization.” The campaign was strategically targeted at minority communities, with Spanish-language ads spreading similar anti-trans messaging to Latine voters. During the 2024 election cycle, Republicans and the Trump campaign built on this type of advertising, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ads targeting men with anti-trans messages during televised sports events.More recently, AFL filed a lawsuit against Arizona’s Mesa Public Schools, attacking the district’s trans-supportive policies as a “violation” of parental rights. AFL’s suit alleges that schools should be forced to notify parents if a student expresses a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth, regardless of the potential danger it could pose to the student. Christopher Wiggins, "Who is Stephen Miller, the anti-LGBTQ+ white supremacist Trump picked to be a deputy WH chief of staff?", Advocate, 13 November 2024 Miller’s appointment as deputy chief of staff for policy signals a grim chapter for LGBTQ+ rights in America. As a top advisor, Miller will have a powerful hand in shaping the administration’s policy agenda, and his record leaves little room for optimism. Civil rights advocates anticipate an aggressive rollback of LGBTQ+ protections, with policies that could restrict gender-affirming care, scale back workplace protections, and even threaten marriage equality. For LGBTQ+ youth in particular, Miller’s influence could mean the end of critical protections, placing them in environments that ignore or outright deny their identities.Miller’s return to the White House isn’t just another political appointment—it’s a warning sign. His record shows a clear intent to reshape the federal government in ways that privilege an exclusionary and deeply conservative vision. For LGBTQ+ communities, people of color, immigrants, and allies, Miller’s role signals an urgent need to prepare for the fight ahead. Christopher Wiggins, "Who is Stephen Miller, the anti-LGBTQ+ white supremacist Trump picked to be a deputy WH chief of staff?", Advocate, 13 November 2024 The Trump administration has escalated its crackdown on what it calls "far-left terrorism" in recent days, though the move actually exposed a growing fear within the White House about losing its grip on power, political writer Caitlin Johnstone argued in an analysis published Friday. On Thursday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller previewed the Trump administration’s renewed crusade against what it argues to be far-left extremists, vowing to “defund, debank” and “arrest these political terrorists.” In recent months, however, the Trump administration has broadly expanded its definition of terrorism, adding new indicators such as publicly expressing "anti-Americanism” views. Alexander Willis, "‘They are afraid’: Writer flags major tell in Trump admin’s ‘far-left’ crackdown", Raw Story, 18 July 2026 The crusade, Johnstone argued in an analysis published on her Substack, bore striking similarities to the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) started in the 1950s to illegally disrupt and discredit leftist and anti-war movements in the United States.“Between 1956 and 1971, the FBI conducted covert operations under COINTELPRO to infiltrate and subvert Black civil rights groups, the Communist Party USA, Vietnam War protester organizations, and feminist groups with the goal of stomping out all meaningful leftward political [movements] in the United States,” Johnstone wrote.“It's clear the rightists in the White House are aiming for something far more aggressive, and FBI Director Kash Patel sounds super stoked about the chance to become a 21st century J Edgar Hoover.”However, the crackdown actually revealed a weakness on the part of the Trump administration, Johnstone argued, one that she argued “should inspire hope.” “The fact that this is happening in the first place should inspire hope, not despair. The empire managers aren’t ramping up authoritarianism because it’s easy and fun; they’re doing it because they need to,” she wrote.“They know they’re losing their grip, and they know that they are vastly outnumbered by the ordinary human beings who just want a better world for their children. They are afraid. And they are afraid because they are losing. Keep pushing.” Alexander Willis, "‘They are afraid’: Writer flags major tell in Trump admin’s ‘far-left’ crackdown", Raw Story, 18 July 2026 External links Stephen Miller (political advisor) Stephen Miller Articles written by Miller for The Chronicle Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians Category:Activists from the United States Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States Category:Jews from the United States Category:People from Los Angeles Category:Alt-right writers Category:Nationalists Category:Conspiracy theorists Category:Duke University alumni Category:Political authors from the United States