50 Facts About Stephen Miller

Early Life and Education

Stephen Miller's formative years played a significant role in shaping his political views and career. Let's dive into his early life and education.

1. Early Life and Education: Miller grew up in Santa Monica, California, and attended Santa Monica High School from 1999 to 2003.
2. High School Activism: During his high school years, Miller was known for his conservative views and often appeared on conservative talk radio. He criticized his school's response to the September 11 attacks and advocated for daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Letter to the Editor: At 16, Miller wrote a letter to the editor of the Santa Monica Outlook criticizing his school's response to the 9/11 attacks, stating that Osama bin Laden would feel welcome at Santa Monica High School.
4. Conservative Influences: Miller cited Rush Limbaugh's book The Way Things Ought To Be as his favorite and was influenced by conservative activist David Horowitz.
5. Inviting David Horowitz: Miller invited David Horowitz to speak at his high school and later at Duke University, despite the controversy it generated.
6. High School Behavior: Miller was known for making controversial statements, including telling Latino students to speak only English and belittling janitors.

College Years and Activism

Miller's time at Duke University further solidified his conservative stance and introduced him to national attention.

7. College Years: Miller attended Duke University, where he studied political science and served as president of the Duke chapter of Students for Academic Freedom.
8. Academic Freedom Advocacy: Miller advocated for academic freedom for conservative thinkers on campus, arguing that there was a left-wing bias in higher education.
9. Columnist at Duke: Miller wrote conservative columns for the Duke University student newspaper, The Chronicle, and his debut column, “Welcome to Leftist University,” criticized the imbalance between Democratic and Republican faculty members.
10. Duke Lacrosse Scandal: Miller gained national attention for his defense of the Duke lacrosse players who were wrongly accused of rape. He argued that the case was racially motivated and that the players were innocent.
11. Criticism of Maya Angelou: During the Duke lacrosse scandal, Miller accused poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou of “racial paranoia.”
12. MEChA Criticism: Miller described the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán (MEChA) as a “radical national Hispanic group that believes in racial superiority.”

Early Career in Politics

After college, Miller quickly moved into the political arena, working for several prominent conservative politicians.

13. Career After Graduation: After graduating from Duke in 2007, Miller moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a press secretary for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and later for John Shadegg.
14. Jeff Sessions’ Communications Director: Miller worked as communications director for Senator Jeff Sessions, a leading immigration critic, and was responsible for writing many of Sessions’ speeches on immigration reform.
15. Role in Defeating Immigration Reform: Miller played a key role in defeating the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s proposed immigration reform bill in the 113th Congress.
16. Nation-State Populism: Miller and Sessions developed what Miller describes as “nation-state populism,” a response to globalization and immigration that influenced Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
17. Dave Brat’s Campaign: Miller worked on Dave Brat’s successful 2014 House campaign, which unseated Republican majority leader Eric Cantor.

White House Influence

Miller's influence grew significantly when he joined the Trump administration, where he became a key architect of several controversial policies.

18. White House Role: Miller became a senior advisor to President Donald Trump and was instrumental in shaping critical White House immigration policies, including the zero-tolerance policy and the Muslim ban.
19. Zero-Tolerance Policy: The zero-tolerance policy, also known as family separation, was a policy implemented by the Trump administration under Miller’s influence, which led to the separation of thousands of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border.
20. Muslim Ban: The Muslim ban, which restricted travel from several predominantly Muslim countries, was another policy shaped by Miller and implemented by the Trump administration.
21. Ending DACA: Miller was also involved in ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided temporary protection from deportation to certain young undocumented immigrants.
22. Purging Government Agencies: Miller has been accused of purging government agencies of civil servants who are not entirely loyal to his extremist agenda.
23. COVID-19 Immigration Policies: During the COVID-19 crisis, the Trump administration’s decision to halt the issuance of new green cards was another example of its hard line on immigration, influenced by Miller’s policies.
24. Fearmongering and Xenophobia: Miller has been criticized for implementing policies that demonize immigrants through fearmongering and xenophobia, aiming to halt all forms of immigration to the United States.

Controversial Relationships and Actions

Miller's career has been marked by several controversial relationships and actions that have drawn both criticism and support.

25. Early Career as Press Secretary: Miller began his career as a press secretary for Michele Bachmann and later for John Shadegg, both members of Congress at the time.
26. David Horowitz’s Influence: David Horowitz, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant extremist, played a significant role in Miller’s early life and career.
27. Students for Academic Freedom: Miller was president of the Duke chapter of Students for Academic Freedom, an organization focused on correcting perceived left-wing bias in higher education.
28. Academic Freedom Debate: Miller’s advocacy for academic freedom often led to controversy, including the invitation of conservative writer David Horowitz to speak on campus, which provoked outcry from both students and faculty.
29. Peter Brimelow’s Speaking Event: Miller organized a speaking event at Duke University that brought white nationalist Peter Brimelow to campus in 2007. Brimelow is the founder of the white nationalist group VDARE.
30. Richard Spencer’s Relationship: Miller worked with classmate Richard Spencer, a notorious white nationalist, as members of Duke’s Conservative Union. Spencer popularized the term “alt-right” and was scheduled to speak at the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

Public Perception and Legacy

Miller's actions and policies have left a lasting impact on U.S. politics, with opinions about him varying widely.

31. Controversial Columns: Miller wrote columns that were often hyperbolic and contrarian, such as his argument that students who opposed U.S. military actions were akin to terrorists. He also wrote columns defending old-fashioned gender roles and lamenting the War on Christmas.
32. Editor’s Perspective: Seyward Darby, Miller’s editor at The Chronicle, recalled that his columns were never calibrated for persuasion but rather aimed to provoke reactions.
33. Late-Night Conversations: Miller was known for his late-night conversations with fellow students, often discussing politics and academic freedom over coffee and cigarettes at an off-campus diner.
34. Mysterious Figure: Despite his notoriety, Miller remained a somewhat mysterious figure on campus, rarely attending parties and few classmates recalling discussions about his personal life.
35. Performance Art Debate: Darby vacillated between thinking Miller was deeply unempathetic or cruel and believing he might have been performing for show to assert power.
36. Jeff Sessions’ Collaboration: Miller and Jeff Sessions developed a close working relationship, with Sessions serving as a key adviser to Donald Trump and Miller shaping Trump’s immigration and foreign policies.
37. Trump’s Speechwriter: Miller wrote Trump’s convention speech accepting the GOP nomination and the August foreign policy speech introducing a plan to screen immigrants and suspend immigration from countries with a history of exporting terrorism.
38. Breitbart Connection: Miller was one of the campaign’s early go-betweens with the inflammatory pro-Trump news site Breitbart.
39. Economic Argument Against Immigration: Trump’s economic argument against immigration, which Sessions had long made, was also influenced by Miller’s policies.
40. Gang of Eight’s Immigration Reform Bill: Miller was instrumental in defeating the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s proposed immigration reform bill, which Sessions had also opposed.
41. Immigration Handbook: Miller literally wrote the 23-page handbook that House members were given on how to fight the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill.
42. Trump’s National Security Committee: Sessions chaired Trump’s national security committee and defended Trump’s call for a Muslim ban as an appropriate national debate.
43. Miller’s Rise to Prominence: Miller became Trump’s unlikely warm-up act at rallies, offering a routine filled with table-thumping populism while behind the scenes helping to shape Trump’s policies.
44. Colleagues’ Perception: Colleagues described Miller as having a “mind-meld” with the candidate, indicating a close and influential relationship.
45. Public Perception: Miller commands both disgust and admiration, with some viewing him as a brash and offensive figure while others see him as an interesting and provocative individual.
46. Southern Poverty Law Center’s Criticism: The Southern Poverty Law Center has criticized Miller for shaping racist and draconian immigration policies, including the zero-tolerance policy and the Muslim ban.
47. Vanity Fair’s Description: Vanity Fair described Miller as a firebrand who has survived the White House, noting his early years as a university activist and his rise to prominence in Washington, D.C.
48. Frontline’s Profile: A Frontline profile highlighted Miller’s early days as a conservative contrarian in liberal California, his advocacy for academic freedom, and his role in shaping Trump’s immigration policies.
49. Atlantic’s Analysis: The Atlantic analyzed Miller’s career, noting his early days as a provocative columnist at Duke University and his later role as Trump’s speechwriter and immigration enforcer.
50. Legacy and Impact: Miller’s legacy is complex, with some viewing him as a champion of conservative values and others seeing him as a purveyor of xenophobic and racist policies. His impact on U.S. immigration policy and national discourse remains significant and contentious.

Stephen Miller's Complex Legacy

Stephen Miller's journey from a high school activist to a key political advisor in the Trump administration paints a vivid picture of a polarizing figure. His early years in Santa Monica and Duke University set the stage for his staunch conservative views. Miller's influence on immigration policies like the zero-tolerance policy and the Muslim ban has left a lasting impact on U.S. politics. His role in shaping Trump's speeches and policies showcases his deep involvement in the administration's direction. Critics argue that his methods are rooted in fearmongering and xenophobia, while supporters see him as a defender of national security and conservative values. Whether admired or reviled, Miller's legacy is undeniably significant, reflecting the contentious nature of modern American politics. His story is a testament to how one individual's beliefs and actions can shape national discourse and policy.