Days after a crushing midterm defeat, President Donald Trump called his own mass deportation policies “too tough,” but then he promoted the architect of those policies.
The 80-year-old president tapped Stephen Miller to take over this week as White House chief of staff, and some Republicans are worried that the noxiously unpopular right-wing adviser will cost them the next election, reported MS NOW.
“Did we not learn?” a former Trump White House official told MS NOW. “This is a signal that we didn’t listen to the American people.”
The former official, who remains close to White House operations and requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said Miller doesn’t care if Republicans lose in 2028 because his goal is “fulfilling his deportation dreams.”
“Stephen is not looking at this politically,” the official said. “He wants to reshape the country and he finally has the keys.”
House Republicans were even more critical. One called Miller’s elevation “one of the most disastrous decisions ever made by this president.” Another said Miller’s push to deport as many people as possible had sent voters “screaming and yelling away from the Republican Party.”
“There’s no way we gain those voters back in a generation, especially now if they’re going to put guys like Stephen Miller in charge of anything in the White House,” the second lawmaker said. “Stephen Miller is the last step to burning down the Republican Party.”
Voters last week rejected the pace and tactics of the Trump-Miller immigration agenda. Nearly 6 in 10 midterm voters told exit pollsters that immigration enforcement had gone too far. The backlash was especially strong in heavily Latino areas, including South Texas and South Florida, that swung toward Trump in 2024.
Under Miller, ICE was told to meet a target of 3,000 arrests a day. Most people arrested had no criminal convictions, and hundreds of U.S. citizens were swept up. In January, federal agents in Minneapolis shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Miller and other officials initially branded Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”
Current and former officials told MS NOW that Miller’s power will only grow in his new role, with few moderating voices left around the president.
The White House defended the pick. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers said Miller’s “dedication to making our country safer and wealthier will continue in his new role as chief of staff.” Trump insisted Monday that Miller was “going to get along with the Democrats.”
One House Republican was skeptical, saying Miller “does not make deals with people,” regardless of party.
“They’re going to be as creative as possible looking for ways to undermine the legislative branch and the judicial branch,” the lawmaker said. “And literally shake the roots of our country.”
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