Stephen Miller is the de facto architect of America’s current political landscape. Previously, he was deputy chief of staff to former President Donald Trump. At only 40 years old, Miller has climbed the political ladder fast since his high school days. He’s become the most important player behind the development of some of the most hotly contested policy changes during the Trump administration.
For the most part, Miller’s political career started in high school. Though he was only 16 at the time, he turned heads by campaigning for class president on an LGBT platform. Most recently, Jimmy Kimmel’s show aired a look back at that campaign’s revived speech. It was a fascinating look at the early formation of his political philosophies. His youthful firebrand dreams would prove prophetic of a course that would bring him national policy powerbroker stature.
Throughout his tenure in the Trump administration, Miller played a pivotal role in formulating many of its most extreme policies. Observers have noted that “Miller’s hands are all over the Trump administration’s policies,” particularly regarding immigration. He has a brutish vision of the world that is magnetic and captivating. This audacious approach has generated both praise and criticism from left, right, and center.
Miller’s profoundly antagonistic approach to immigration isn’t just a professional commitment—it’s in some ways personal. He allegedly told one ex-high school acquaintance that their friendship could not continue because of the classmate’s Latina background. Even his criticisms of Spanish-speaking classmates serve to highlight his fraught engagement with diversity.
This part of Miller’s personality was underscored this past week when his uncle called him out on Twitter for his draconian, anti-immigration stance. Her uncle reaffirmed their family’s heritage as Jewish refugees escaping repression in Europe. He put the spotlight on the hypocrisy of Miller’s hardline, anti-TDOT position.
In 2013, Miller rose to prominence as an advisor to then-senator Jeff Sessions. As a congressional contender, he even helped scuttle a bipartisan immigration reform compromise. This served as the launching pad for his ascent as one of the leading political architects to re-shape immigration policy. He is perhaps best known today for first masterminding the separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border while serving in the Trump administration.
Miller’s personal life has often informed his political pursuits. She is married to fellow traveler Katie Waldman, who doesn’t walk too far from his tree and met him in their mutual antipathy towards migrants. Ideologically, Waldman and I share a lot of beliefs, too, and this comes through on their podcast.
His radical devotion to this idea has earned him the title of one of the most toxic figures in modern American politics. In doing so, he has indelibly marked America’s conversation on immigration and the larger ideological battlefield.
“America is for Americans and Americans only.” – The Guardian
His unwavering commitment to this belief has solidified his position as one of the most controversial figures in modern American politics, leaving a lasting impact on the nation’s immigration policies and the broader ideological discourse.