Meet Trump's "shadow prime minister," the chief architect of the Plan to Reshape America!
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In the power structure of Trump’s potential second term, one name is drawing increasing attention in Washington—Stephen Miller. As Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor, Miller is becoming the chief architect of plans to reshape America.
On September 29, according to the Financial Times, in the political landscape of Trump’s return to the White House, Stephen Miller—called the “shadow prime minister” by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon—has become the most powerful unelected bureaucrat in the United States. Miller is the only senior aide who maintained close ties with Trump after his first term and followed him back into the Oval Office this January.
(Photo: In February 2016, Bannon (left) interviews then-Trump senior advisor Miller on his podcast)
According to Bannon, apart from some national security, fiscal, and financial functions, Miller is involved in almost all domestic policy making. From large-scale arrests of undocumented immigrants, to attempts to abolish birthright citizenship, to deploying armed National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles, these controversial policies all bear his imprint.
In addition, insiders reveal that Miller not only plays a dominant role in immigration and security policy, but is also deeply involved in Trump’s attacks on universities, law firms, cultural institutions, and the media. Someone familiar with Trump’s thinking said: “Stephen is the one connecting everything—he’s involved in all of it.”
His influence is now appearing in unprecedented ways. According to former White House national security official Olivia Troye, “It’s fully Stephen Miller’s show right now,” because inside the White House “there’s no one left who can balance him.” This has led to the implementation of many more extreme policies, raising market concerns about policy disruption and legal stability.
Critics worry that Miller is using his influence to push an even more radical policy agenda. He once called the Democratic Party a “domestic extremist group,” and mentioned suspending habeas corpus—the constitutional right to due process. Supporters argue that he represents a government that fully exercises presidential power and implements policies supported by most Americans.
From Outsider to Core Decision-maker
In 2016, Miller officially joined Trump’s first presidential campaign team as a speechwriter.
Bannon recalls: “Stephen and the president immediately had chemistry, a meeting of the minds. After Miller joined, the quality of Trump’s speeches noticeably improved—they became weightier and more substantial.”
“Charisma only gets you so far, eventually you need well-considered policy, and Stephen is the one who does that.”
In Trump’s first administration, Miller quickly left his mark on immigration policy. He was one of the chief drafters of the so-called “Muslim travel ban,” which restricted citizens from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
He also devised the “zero tolerance” policy, which led to family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018.
(In 2017, Miller debates with a CNN reporter on U.S. immigration issues. Source: video screenshot)
The 'Shadow Prime Minister' Returns to the Peak of Power
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Miller remained loyal, spending four years researching policies to implement upon regaining power.
Despite lacking legal training, he mined obscure legal statutes to defend his tough policy proposals. In 2023, he explained on a conservative podcast how to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to carry out mass deportations without due process.
After Trump’s victory, Miller was appointed White House Deputy Chief of Staff, quickly demonstrating broad authority to bypass bureaucratic obstacles.
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Miller as “one of President Trump’s longest-serving and most trusted advisors of the past decade” and added that Trump “has the utmost confidence in him and his tried-and-true leadership.”
Miller’s return and consolidation of power surprised few of his former colleagues. Former national security official Olivia Troye said:
“I always knew, if Trump returned to the White House, it would be the Stephen Miller show.” She thinks that because of the lack of checks and balances, many “more extreme things” are happening.
This May, he and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem summoned senior immigration enforcement officials to Washington to scold them for “poor performance” in arresting undocumented immigrants.
At the meeting, Miller set a daily arrest quota of 3,000 people, tripling the monthly average before Trump’s second term. Afterwards, videos of immigration officers arresting asylum seekers at court hearings and raiding Mexican day laborers at Home Depot parking lots went viral online.
When immigration enforcement sparked protests in Los Angeles, Miller posted on social media platform X, declaring the city an “occupied territory,” and said, “For years we’ve said this is a battle to save civilization. Now anyone with eyes can see it.”
This month, at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Miller issued a stern warning to what he saw as left-wing forces behind an assassination attempt: “You have no idea what kind of dragon you have awakened.”
(Miller speaks at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. Source: video screenshot)
Analysts believe this statement is not an isolated remark, but the latest signal in pushing a radical agenda.
Legal Controversy Over Radical Policies
Critics see Miller as a divisive figure who led some of the most legally contentious policies of the Trump administration.
However, some former colleagues say that many of the policies he promoted—including crackdowns on illegal immigration, attacks on woke culture, and elite colleges—are more popular than his opponents imagine.
A former White House colleague from Trump’s first term said:
“He has an incredible ability to read certain things and to understand how the wider American electorate would respond. Things like attacks on elite institutions actually perform well in cross-party polls.”
Moreover, Miller is known for a “results-oriented” style, often bypassing normal policy-making processes.
A former official who interacted with him during Trump’s first term said Miller would avoid the standard process in which lawyers and stakeholders review proposals for legality and compliance.
“Stephen is bolder—he doesn’t want to wait for that stuff. He’ll say, ‘No, we’re doing this now.’ That’s still how he works today.”
However, this approach has also brought a torrent of legal challenges. Skye Perryman, head of the nonprofit Democracy Forward, pointed out:
“We have seen extremism and overreach, including suggestions the government need not obey court orders, or weaponizing constitutional rights against people—all with plenty of Stephen Miller’s fingerprints.”
According to nonpartisan Congressional Research Service statistics, in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, federal courts issued 25 nationwide injunctions against the federal government, compared to just 4 during the Biden administration. Perryman believes:
“It’s no surprise the Trump administration kept losing in court—they seemed to have a non-lawyer driving their legal strategy.”
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