On Friday, President Trump announced that Susie Wiles, his chief of staff and close ally, was leaving the White House to make way for Stephen Miller.
He was also the architect of deadly strikes in the Caribbean on boats allegedly transporting drugs, the Journal reported. Miller, a top Trump adviser known for his hard-line approach to immigration, officially held the positions of deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. But his title belied his sweeping role in shaping the president’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. Miller has long played a key role in the president’s approach to immigration. Miller helped identify immigration as a key campaign issue in Trump’s re-election bid. In the current administration, Miller has been the architect of an aggressive immigration policy that has included mass deportations and revocations of legal status. So far, the enforcement campaign has brought illegal border crossings to the lowest level in decades. Beyond his role as architect of Trump’s immigration policy, Miller has amassed near-unprecedented power for a White House staffer. Miller was part of a meeting between Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and spoke with CEOs about an announcement on tariffs. He doesn’t overwhelm you with a charm offensive—it’s action.”
The Journal reported last year that he has a staff of around 30 and has spearheaded the administration’s battles with universities over diversity policies and law firms who have represented the president’s opponents.
In 2019, Trump told Miller, who had a reputation for his hard-line immigration stances, “you’re in charge” of the administration’s immigration policy, the Journal reported that year . A former Trump adviser, “Stephen had the unique ability to take the president’s idea on complex topics and hammer through a set of policies that drive the action and deliver, according to Steve Bannon.
“He clearly understands Mr. Trump’s voice.” Miller joined Trump’s 2016 campaign after working for Jeff Sessions, then a GOP senator from Alabama. On the campaign, he was praised by colleagues for channeling Trump’s style and beliefs, and gained prominence after writing the then-candidates acceptance speech for the Republican nomination in 2016.
“Stephen is one of the most important people in the campaign,” said Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort in a 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal.
