Nearly every day since President Donald Trump entered office three weeks ago, he has convened a huddle in the West Wing with two of his senior-most aides to plot out the next steps dramatically reshaping the federal government. One is his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The other is Stephen Miller, whose title – deputy chief of staff for policy – in many ways understates the massive influence he commands both with the president and across the government.
Miller is helping to drive a maximalist immigration enforcement agenda, one he has spent much of his career designing. He’s working closely with his ally, Elon Musk, on the billionaire’s Trump-blessed mission to shrink the size of the federal government and rid it of “deep state” bureaucrats. Miller is now one of the most powerful people in government, with a direct line to Trump and – perhaps more importantly – a canny ability to translate Trump’s policy ideas into action.
