Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller (born August 23, 1985, Santa Monica, California, U.S.) is a Republican political adviser who will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and as homeland security adviser in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming second administration. He was previously a senior policy adviser during Trump’s first presidential term (2017–21). A prominent figure in conservative politics, Miller is known especially for his anti-immigration views.

Early life and education

Miller grew up in a politically liberal Jewish family in Santa Monica, California. He reportedly became conservative after reading Guns, Crime, and Freedom (1994) by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. While in high school, Miller was a vocal critic of what he perceived as his school’s liberalism, and he began appearing on conservative radio talk shows. His activism had some success. Notably, the school agreed to bring back the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, though for just two days per week.

Miller later attended Duke University, where he studied political science and wrote Miller Time, an opinion column for the school’s newspaper, The Chronicle. According to some of his former classmates, he embraced being a provocateur, and his columns were often polarizing. This was especially true of his coverage of Duke’s lacrosse scandal. In 2006 the university received national attention when a Black woman who had been hired as a striptease dancer at a party alleged that members of the men’s lacrosse team had raped her. Miller defended the three accused players, and in one article he wrote, “The racial left claimed the lacrosse players got preferential treatment because they were white. In reality, their skin color appeared to earn them something very different—a witchhunt.” Miller appeared on several national TV shows, including The O’Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel. Charges against the players were later dropped, and the prosecutor was disbarred for ethical violations. In a 2016 interview with Politico Magazine, Miller said,

The thing that I’m proudest of is that I spoke out early and often on behalf of American legal principles in the Duke lacrosse case when it was not popular. I take great pride that, under enormous social and political pressure, I remained steadfast in my support for due process.

Congressional staffer

After graduating in 2007, Miller pursued a career in Republican politics, working as a congressional staffer. He was hired as a press secretary for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minnesota) and later served as communications director for Rep. John Shadegg (Arizona). In 2009 Miller began working for Sen. Jeff Sessions (Alabama), who was noted for his opposition to immigration. Miller, who eventually became chief of communications, reportedly encouraged Sessions to become more combative and often supplied him with talking points. Their views on immigration were shared by Steve Bannon, a key figure at the conservative Breitbart News, and the three men often worked in tandem to advance their policies. They have been credited with laying the political groundwork that helped Trump get elected in 2016.

Adviser to Trump

During the 2016 presidential contest, Miller joined Trump’s campaign as a policy adviser. (Bannon also worked on the campaign, and Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump.) Miller later became a speechwriter and was sometimes Trump’s warm-up speaker at rallies. After Trump won, Miller served as a senior policy adviser in the administration. His primary responsibility was shaping immigration policies. Notably, he was a leading advocate of the family separation policy, in which children were taken from parents who had illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Miller also supported the so-called Muslim ban, which barred entry into the United States from several Muslim-majority countries.

In 2020 Trump lost his reelection bid, and Miller left the White House the following year. He subsequently founded (2021) the America First Legal Foundation. In a statement to announce the new venture, he said, “Those who believe in America First must not shy away from using our legal system to defend our society and our families from any unlawful actions by the left.” Miller later played a key role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Among his appearances in support of Trump was at an October rally in New York City during which he asserted that “America is for Americans and Americans only.” He also continued to help craft immigration policy, and one of the former president’s campaign promises was to carry out mass deportations of undocumented workers. Soon after winning the election, Trump announced that Miller would serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and as homeland security adviser; neither post requires Senate confirmation.

Personal life

In 2020 Miller married Katie Waldman, a Republican whose jobs have included serving as press secretary to U.S. Vice Pres. Mike Pence. The couple later had two sons and a daughter.