At the center of former President Donald Trump’s sweeping and controversial anti-immigration push in his second term stands Stephen Miller, a 39-year-old adviser whose influence over White House policy has grown dramatically. While Miller played a significant role in Trump’s first administration, his power and reach have expanded in Trump 2.0. According to a New York Times report, “Miller, who in less than a decade has risen from an anti-immigrant agitator on Capitol Hill to one of the most powerful unelected people in America.”
Miller now serves in dual roles: Deputy Chief of Staff overseeing domestic policy and Homeland Security Adviser. These positions give him broad authority to coordinate across government agencies and shape the administration’s legislative and rhetorical strategy. From penning Trump’s speeches to drafting executive orders, Miller has become the central figure driving the administration’s most hard-line immigration policies.
A former Trump adviser who knows Miller told NBC News, “Stephen is the president’s id. He has been for a while. It’s just now he has the leverage and power to fully effectuate it.”
Those close to the administration describe Miller not just as a loyal aide, but as the ideological compass for Trump’s most aggressive domestic agenda, the New York Times reported. His vision, rooted in sharp curbs to immigration, both legal and illegal, has manifested in a blitz of executive actions since Trump returned to office.
Man behind preparing Trump’s second term playbook
In the four years Trump spent out of power, Miller was not idle. According to the NYT, he meticulously prepared for a potential second term, more than any other Trump-aligned adviser. He expanded on his first-term policy frameworks, forged deeper ties with key congressional allies and right-wing media figures and built a nationwide fundraising network. This network backed his nonprofit, which served as a policy incubator and influence hub. Miller even cultivated a quiet relationship with tech mogul Elon Musk. His relationship with Musk has, however, now hit the wall.
Following Trump’s November election victory, Miller relocated with his family to Palm Beach, Florida and assumed a key role in the transition team. His proximity to Trump has only deepened since.
Miller’s ideological journey
Miller’s ideological journey began far from today’s hard-right politics. Raised in a Jewish, liberal Democratic household in Santa Monica, California, Miller first encountered conservative thought in middle school. By age 16, he had embraced Republican ideals. At Duke University, where he studied political science, Miller honed his ideological voice as a conservative columnist, before launching a Washington career that included stints with Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. John Shadegg and Sen. Jeff Sessions.
He joined Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016, crafting major speeches and serving as head of the economic policy team. Once in office, he quickly became a senior advisor, shifting his focus almost entirely to immigration.
Now back in the White House, Miller is the architect behind what is expected to be an expansive and aggressive immigration crackdown, including plans for mass deportations and expedited removals without court hearings. He is unapologetic in his defense of these measures, seeing them not as political flashpoints but as essential to restoring what he describes as national sovereignty.