I said in my last column that Trump would, sadly, likely never concede that the midterm’s blue wave was the result of his failed policies. He proved that point this week by removing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and replacing her with the single most divisive figure in his administration, Stephen Miller.
We knew that Susie was in trouble when she was absent from some major decisions. The last one was the disastrous hiring of Katie Zachariah as White House Press Secretary. She was not only completely unqualified for the position but also deceptive regarding her failure to pass the bar yet still setting herself forward as an attorney. The only point in her favor? She was a worshipper at the feet of Trump.
So, yes, Susie was on her way out, and everyone saw the writing on the wall. But Stephen Miller as her replacement?
It is a clear doubling down of Trump’s narcissistic attitude to say that he owes the American people absolutely nothing and he is going to put the most controversial member of his staff as its head.
The role of Chief of Staff is one of the most influential within the administration because that person doesn’t just manage the operations of the White House, they manage access to the President. This person determines the flow of information that lands on the desk in the Oval Office. They are a top adviser on policy. And they are a chief liaison between the Cabinet and Congress and the President.
And Trump just put the most hated person in that position, cementing his f-you to the American people.
So, let’s talk about who Stephen Miller is.
He is a far-right figure who has shaped the stand of the administration on immigration.
In 2018, he was the one who devised the policy that separated children from their parents when they were captured crossing the border. His reasoning for doing so was to force Congress to take action on immigration legislation by having them “do it to protect the children”. The narrative was to (successfully) blame the Obama administration for the policy that led to the separations and tout Trump as the fixer, when Trump and by extension Miller were the ones who did it.
A few months after the practice began, Trump signed an Executive Order to end the policy and to reunite the children with their parents. The practice, however, continued under the radar for another year and a half.
In that time, 5600 children were separated from their parents. No records were kept of where the children were relocated as a matter of course. As of 2024, the ACLU estimated there were still 2200 of these children who had not been found.
Miller was also the architect of the aggressive immigration policy of the second term that led to the ICE raids across the country. His influence determined the heavy-handed tactics that resulted in the civil unrest in cities like Minneapolis, DC, and Los Angeles. He was the one that encouraged deployment of the National Guard in a martial law move that required sending in Tom Holman to clean up the mess.
He is vocally aggressive and hatefully dismissive. And he is dangerous.
And he is the person Trump has chosen to lead for the next two years.
This appointment is a demonstration that Trump has absolutely no willingness to back down on the disastrous policies that led to Tuesday’s defeat. He has no desire to work with Congress. He has no plan to let up on his agenda.
Stephen Miller is not a good guy and his new role says that Trump intends to make the next two years hell for everyone who voted against him.
I had hope on Tuesday. Today, I’m dreading the way forward- not because Democrats are in charge but because Trump is determined to prove that he is in charge no matter what anyone says.
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