FT: Stephen Miller, the architect behind Trump's radical agenda
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Miller is regarded as the US's most influential unelected government official.
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White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller walks to speak with reporters outside the White House, Friday, September 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A recent Financial Times article uncovers how one person has consolidated unprecedented power as Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff and homeland security advisor. He is described as essentially functioning as the president's "prime minister," orchestrating a sweeping transformation of domestic policy that extends far beyond his public association with immigration enforcement.
Steve Bannon, who served as Trump's chief strategist during his first term, told Financial Times that Miller is deeply involved in virtually every aspect of domestic policy outside of certain national security and treasury functions.
Miller is the only senior White House official who remained close to Trump after his first presidency ended and subsequently returned with him to the Oval Office in January. This continuity has positioned him uniquely to implement a carefully developed agenda that he spent four years refining while Trump was out of office.
His fingerprints appear on many of the administration's most controversial initiatives. These include arrests of undocumented immigrants at courthouse hearings, efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship, and the deployment of armed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles streets. Beyond immigration, Miller has reportedly shaped the administration's approach to universities, law firms, cultural institutions, and media organizations.
A history of hardline views
According to Financial Times, Miller's ideological journey could be traced back to his California upbringing. Raised by Jewish Democrats in an affluent Santa Monica neighborhood, Miller developed strong anti-immigration views from an early age. A former middle school friend, Jason Islas, recounted to Financial Times a disturbing incident in eighth grade when Miller abruptly ended their friendship, citing Islas's Latino heritage as one of the reasons.
By high school, Miller had become a devoted follower of conservative radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Larry Elder, appearing on Elder's program 69 times in total. Financial Times notes that he gained notoriety for confronting Latino students about speaking Spanish and controversially suggesting that students should intentionally leave trash for janitors to clean up.
Miller's media breakthrough came while attending Duke University, when he appeared on Fox News to defend a white lacrosse player accused of rape. Financial Times reports that he later worked for Republican Senator Jeff Sessions in the 2010s, dedicating himself to blocking bipartisan immigration reform efforts, positions that were initially considered extreme but eventually became Republican orthodoxy.
Implementing the agenda
Miller joined Trump's 2016 campaign as a speechwriter, with Bannon describing their relationship as an immediate "mind meld." Miller's contributions elevated Trump's speeches, adding substance and careful policy thinking to complement the candidate's natural charisma, according to Bannon's assessment shared with Financial Times.
During Trump's first term, Miller authored the controversial Muslim travel ban and developed the "zero tolerance" policy that led to family separations at the border in 2018. However, his initiatives frequently encountered court challenges and bureaucratic resistance, obstacles he has worked systematically to overcome in the current administration.
Former officials interviewed by Financial Times describe Miller's unconventional approach to policymaking. Rather than following standard procedures involving lawyers and stakeholders to ensure proposals meet legal and ethical standards, Miller reportedly pushes for immediate implementation, with his attitude being "we're just doing it."
A former homeland security official told the Financial Times that Miller once demanded stories about immigrants involved in drunk driving incidents to "paint this picture that immigrants are dangerous to Americans," a request the official refused and subsequently left the department.
Legal challenges, controversial tactics
Miller, despite lacking formal legal training, has unearthed obscure historical laws to justify aggressive policy positions. He first advocated using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to conduct mass deportations without due process in 2023, a strategy Trump later employed to send Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.
According to the Financial Times piece, Miller's management style has drawn criticism from former colleagues. Olivia Troye, a former national security official, described an environment where staff "walked on eggshells" around him due to his tendency to berate and lecture subordinates.
In May, Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem summoned immigration enforcement officials to Washington for a reprimand over supposedly inadequate arrest numbers. Miller set a daily arrest quota of 3,000, quadruple the previous average, leading to viral videos of agents seizing asylum-seekers at courthouses and targeting day laborers at Home Depot parking lots.
The Congressional Research Service data cited by the Financial Times reveals significant legal pushback, with federal courts issuing 25 nationwide injunctions against the government during Trump's first 100 days, compared to just four during the same period under Biden. Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward told the Financial Times that the administration appears to be allowing someone without legal credentials to drive their legal strategy, resulting in policies that courts frequently reject.
The power and the backlash
Following the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Miller delivered a forceful memorial speech warning ideological opponents that they had "awakened a dragon." He characterized Kirk's death as justification to "uproot and dismantle terrorist networks," though he did not specify which organizations he meant.
Miller has labeled the Democratic Party a "domestic extremist organization" and discussed suspending habeas corpus, the constitutional right to due process. Critics express concern that he will use Kirk's killing as justification for cracking down on dissent and targeting left-wing groups.
Yet former colleagues quoted in the Financial Times article argue that Miller's agenda, including immigration enforcement and attacks on elite institutions, enjoys broader public support than critics acknowledge. One former colleague said that Miller possesses an "uncanny ability to read the tea leaves" and understand how average Americans will respond to controversial policies.
A defining figure
The Financial Times portrays Miller as perhaps the defining figure of Trump's second administration, a true believer whose adolescent rebellions against liberal Santa Monica have evolved into an all-consuming ideological mission. His former friend Jason Islas emphasized that most people don't become "a deeper version of our childhood rebellions," but for Miller, that's exactly what happened.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Miller in a statement to the Financial Times, describing him as "one of President Trump's longest serving and most trusted advisers" who has earned the president's "utmost faith" through nearly a decade of loyalty and effective leadership.
