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‘His Own Family Disowned Him’: Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pick, Stephen Miller, Called a ‘Despicable Human Being’ As Reactions Pour In from Political Pundits

Posted byBy Yasmeen Freightman | Published on: | Updated on November 12, 2024 CommentsComments (0)

President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime adviser and anti-immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as the deputy chief of staff for policy in his new administration.

Fresh off the heels of a turbulent election cycle, the nation’s eyes are now turning to who Trump will appoint to his cabinet and keep in his closest circles. The announcement about Miller’s appointment comes days after Trump declared that his campaign chief Susan Wiles will serve as his chief of staff.

Donald Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff
Stephen Miller, former Senior Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, on October 18, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. There are 17 days remaining until the U.S. presidential election, which will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Miller is a long-standing member of Trump’s camp, having served as a close aide in the president-elect’s first campaign and a senior advisor in his first White House administration.

He helped shape rigid immigration deterrence policies during Trump’s first term, like separating migrant children from their parents and pitching a highly controversial travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries.

Miller remained intently focused on this matter during the final weeks of Trump’s second presidential campaign, assuring the American people that mass deportations will be a top priority when the president-elect returns to office.

Miller made headlines in 2019 after it was discovered that he was sending white nationalist literature and propaganda to news editors at the hard-right news organization Breitbart. A former Breitbart writer leaked more than 900 emails to the Southern Poverty Law Center revealing that several of Miller’s immigration policy proposals were modeled after the extremist source materials.

After Trump was ousted from office in 2020, Miller founded and led the America First Legal conservative organization, which served as the bedrock for a sweeping anti-DEI movement, filing numerous discrimination lawsuits alleging that “anti-white racism” was rampant in corporations and colleges and universities.

America First Legal was behind the litigation that led to the landmark 6-3 Supreme Court decision last summer declaring race-based affirmative action college admissions policies unconstitutional.

The group also filed a successful lawsuit in 2021 aimed at blocking a $29 billion program for women- and minority-owned restaurants from going into effect. The organization argued that the program discriminated against white-owned businesses.

Many of Trump’s supporters have reacted positively as word of Miller’s new White House post began to spread. Opposing responses are also pouring in. CNN political commentator Tara Setmayer bristled at news of the appointment.

“Well, that’s what people voted for. I suggest lots of folks who voted for Donald Trump go back and watch a lot of interviews and media appearances by Stephen Miller. And you see who he is. He’s a despicable human being that is a racist and a xenophobe, and his own family has disowned him,” Setmayer said on a CNN news segment Monday.

Adding, “And this is now who is, who has proximity to power in the White House, basically No. 2, next to Susie Wiles in the ear of the president of the United States. Well, I guess the upside is at least he won’t be DHS secretary or attorney general.”

Miller’s role as deputy chief of staff for policy means that he will work alongside Wiles and take charge of implementing Trump’s policy proposals.

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