For years Stephen Miller has been a conservative firebrand in Donald Trump’s political orbit. Now, he has become a lightning rod.
His relentless, combative style at the policymaking helm of the White House has set the president’s hardline immigration agenda in motion, and he has developed a growing influence in expanding US power across the Western Hemisphere.
The high-velocity start to 2026 by the Trump administration, at home and abroad, has only cemented his position as one of its most powerful figures.
But for many on the left, he is a villain.
In Washington DC, posters of Miller’s face have been plastered in public spaces with the caption “Fascism ain’t pretty”. Democrats have called for his resignation. Even some members of his own party have publicly questioned his political judgement and effectiveness.
And over the last few weeks, Miller has found himself in unfamiliar territory – a behind-the-scenes operator suddenly in the national spotlight, whose words and actions are being scrutinised. He has had to back away – at least temporarily – from the kind of fight he has frequently relished.
‘Always strong, never back down’
Shortly after two federal immigration officers shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month, Miller posted several messages on the social media site X accusing the Minneapolis nurse of being a “domestic terrorist” and an “assassin”.
It was typical red-meat invective for a man who used to serve as a warm-up act for Trump at his 2016 campaign rallies. He accused Democrats of “fanning the flames of insurrection”. His assertions were also objectively false.
Video evidence subsequently revealed that Pretti, although carrying a licensed handgun, did not threaten the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials prior to being pepper-sprayed, tackled and shot 10 times.
Days later, Miller provided a statement to the media contending that the administration’s initial assessment of the shooting was “based on reports” from “on the ground” immigration officers – and that those agents “may not have been following” proper protocol.
It was a rare walk-back from the combative aide – but one that has not satisfied his Democratic critics, who accuse him of encouraging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to violently respond to protests.
“It wasn’t enough for Stephen Miller that these American citizens were murdered by ICE and CBP, he had to slander them with lies after their deaths,” Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia wrote in a post on social media website Bluesky.
“Miller is a deranged, bloodthirsty bigot, and his policies put lives at risk every day he remains in power.”
In May, it was Miller who demanded that immigration enforcement officials do more to detain and deport undocumented migrants in American cities. He told Fox News the administration had set a target of 3,000 arrests a day – a figure that dwarfed previous numbers.
According to the Washington Examiner, Miller at one meeting “eviscerated” federal immigration officials for not doing enough to detain undocumented migrants across the US. Since then, the administration has ramped up enforcement in a growing list of major American cities, including Washington DC, Charlotte, Chicago and, most recently, Minneapolis.
“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Axios recently, in part as a defence of criticism that she was the driving force behind the administration’s forceful immigration enforcement actions.
Americans souring on immigration tactics
Miller has denied being animated by racism or bigotry. He defends Trump’s immigration policy as a reflection of what voters elected Trump to accomplish.
Yet, in what is being seen as a break with Miller’s aggressive approach, Trump said this week his crackdown needed a “softer touch” following the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good, another US citizen killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis.
Approval of his immigration policy overall has fallen to 39%, its lowest level since he returned to the White House, according to a poll by Reuters-Ipsos. And a clear majority, 58%, say the enforcement tactics by ICE agents have gone “too far”.
This trend puts Miller squarely in the crosshairs of criticism as Republicans prepare for November’s midterm congressional elections.
Miller is the architect of this mass deportation policy, said Bryan Lanza, a conservative strategist who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. “We’ll know in November whether he’s to blame for it. The voters, at the end of the day, can be very unforgiving.”
Miller, however, has proven over the years to be a survivor. An outspoken conservative from his high school days in liberal California, he rose from Senate staffer to campaign aide to the White House, where he navigated the various personal intrigues and backbiting of the first Trump administration.
In 2019, he told the Washington Post he felt a “jolt of electricity to my soul” when Trump announced his presidential bid.
Miller stuck by the president in his darkest days, following the 2020 election defeat, the attack by his supporters on the US Capitol and his political exile from Washington. And he followed Trump back into power last year.
“Stephen Miller is critical to Trump’s psyche,” said Lanza. “Always go strong; never back down. He can always count on Stephen to support that position on any issue.”
Speaking for the president
Miller’s official title in the White House is deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.
“Stephen Miller has faithfully served President Trump for years because he’s intelligent, hardworking, and loyal,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the BBC.
“Stephen brings together all corners of the government to ensure every single policy, both foreign and domestic, is implemented at record speed. The results over the course of the past year speak for themselves.”
At one point last year, Miller was floated as a potential White House national security adviser, replacing the ousted Michael Waltz – rumours that the president summarily dismissed.
“Stephen is much higher on the totem pole than that,” Trump said.
Last March, as the United States was preparing to launch airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, a series of Signal text messages inadvertently shared with The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg revealed Miller at the centre of White House planning, speaking for the president’s desire to go ahead with the attack.
“As I heard it, the president was clear: green light,” he wrote to the group of senior aides, including Vice-President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Discover more from InnerCity News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
