Days after voters rejected his second-term agenda in a resounding midterm blowout, President Donald Trump is turning to one of the chief architects of those policies to lead the White House, elevating Stephen Miller to chief of staff.
Miller is best known as an immigration hawk who was an ardent champion for the mass deportation campaign that has been a centerpiece of Trump’s second term and the administration's push to end birthright citizenship. He is also a fierce and longtime Trump loyalist who has shown little inclination for working with Democrats, setting up a potentially combative two years ahead.
Trump's immigration enforcement efforts have sparked intense backlash, putting a spotlight on the tactics employed by the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency. There were widespread demonstrations after immigration officers shot and killed two people in Minneapolis.
The administration adopted a more conciliatory tone amid the uproar but Miller was quick to defend the immigration agents. His appointment could signal a return to a more uncompromising stance on immigration, and other issues, even as Latino voters shifted dramatically towards Democrats in the midterm election.
Miller’s influence has extended far beyond immigration. As deputy chief of staff for policy, he has been deeply involved at all levels of policymaking.
Miller also has been a driving force in Trump's muscular approach to foreign affairs and threats of intervention abroad, once declaringthat "nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland." He also championed the U.S. effort to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, saying afterward that “The United States is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere."
Trump’s selection of Miller to replace the outgoing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a longtime aide with a more low-key profile, comes after Democrats seized control of both the House and the Senate in a landslide. The midterm election centered around the president, whose approval rating is at record lows amid discontent over immigration policy, the economy, the war in Iran and other issues that Miller had a hand in.
Democrats have signaled they will launch an aggressive oversight campaign, with Trump administration officials facing a barrage of congressional hearings and potential subpoenas.
Miller is fiery speaker who often lashes out at Democrats and shown little appetite for compromise. That could set up a contentious final two years in office for Trump.
Before the polls closed on Election Day Nov. 3, Miller fired off a social media post urging voters to "Send a message to the corrupt media, corrupt Democrats and corrupt leftwing politicians who want to steal your future and destroy the inheritance of your children. Get to the polls and protect the ones you love."
The president praised Miller as he departed the White House on Nov. 6, noting he has been with him from the beginning. Miller was a policy adviser and speechwriter for Trump’s 2016 campaign and in his first administration. His wife was a spokesperson for Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, and now hosts a podcast featuring administration officials.
“He gets it. Very good politically,”Trump said of Miller. “He’ll do a great job. Great manager.”
Trump’s critics said Miller’s appointment suggests the president is doubling down on an approach that voters rejected.
“Donald Trump learned nothing from his historic defeat,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York,said on social media. “Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn’t have made a worse choice. Our Democratic majorities will fight him every step of the way.”
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In elevating Stephen Miller, Trump taps anti-immigration champion
