What a combination! The alt-right guru Steve Bannon and the Jewish wunderkind Steve Miller teaming up to pull Trump’s strings. Who is this man who last week was called “the man who helped Trump find his voice” and this weekend is in the news as being one of the Trump minions who wrote his explosive executive order?
Here’s an introduction from a mere six weeks ago:
Dec. 13, 2016: President-elect Donald Trump named as a top policy adviser Stephen Miller, a Jewish campaigner for the Republican known for his fiery speeches.
“As national policy director, he oversaw the entire policy operation, led the policy development and formulation efforts, and directed strategic policy decisions on a day-to-day basis,” according to the Trump transition team’s announcement released late Tuesday.
The announcement said Miller, currently the policy director for the Trump transition team, also served as the campaign’s chief speechwriter.
“As Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, Miller will also be responsible for directing White House policy staff, managing speechwriting functions, and working to ensure the enactment of the President’s policy agenda,” the announcement said.
Miller, 31, became well known at rallies for his fiery introductions of Trump, leading the crowds in cries of slogans like “Build that wall!” a reference to Trump’s pledge to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Jewish Daily Telegraph
The man who you may not know except for his having written Trump’s inaugural speech is now in the news for authoring the inflammatory immigration travel ban that has ignited demonstrations all weekend.
If you want to know who the man being credited (or blamed) along with Steve Bannon for this, in what we all hope is the unleashing a swarm of angry hornets about to sting the Trump regime into anaphylaxis, look no further than this long profile in Politico from mid-summer.
Miller sidled up with or deviously undermined Christie, Manfort, Hope Hicks, Sam Clovis, Lewandoski and who knows who else.
Like a lot of things on the Trump campaign, it’s not really clear how this happened. One day ahead of the Florida primary, Miller was telling Trump all about his experience fighting Marco Rubio on immigration reform, Trump told him to take it to the media and the stage, and that was that. Miller was now the warm-up act, and spokeswoman Hope Hicks and erstwhile campaign manager Corey Lewandowski just had to deal with it. Politico
Some were axed, added into the background. obviously survived their demise. He can be seen as a lurking insinuating himself into the the good graces of the far right just by looking at the photos. in the Politico article.
Of course, the most important person he had to suck up to was the man with the ginormous ego himself, Donald J. Trump. That he was wildly successful is now history. Whatever he did behind the scenes may someday be known. I suspect Manifort, Lewandoski, and anyone left behind know very well.
What we do know he became Trump’s main rally opening act (see the Politico video)
He most likely cemented his relationship at one or another of his warm-up speeches. Possibly it was the one he gave in Las Vegas which ended like this:
In Las Vegas that June night, Miller ended the speech at a fever pitch. “And to the question I have for all of you,” he began his crescendo, “I want you to shout so loud, so that everyone who betrayed you, everyone who let you down, everybody who betrayed families like the Kate Steinle family … everybody who ignored your cries and pleas for help. I want you to shout so loud that it quivers the conference tables in Washington, D.C.”
A dramatic pause. A wag of the finger.
“Are you prepared, folks, to elect as president a man who will put America first, last, and always!” He too is shouting now, jabbing with his finger, bouncing in his knees, his face beatific with righteous anger. His eyes are finally smiling. “Are you prepared to elect Donald J. Trump as president of these United States! Are you prepared to take back your country!” The crowd is whistling, screaming. “Are you prepared for real change on behalf of America! God bless all of you, god bless this state, and God! Bless! The United! States! Of America! Thank you!”
And with that, Miller spins around on his heels, turning his back to the ecstatic crowd. He flashes a peace sign, and disappears into the darkness. www.politico.com/...
So we have another name to attach to the photo I used to illustrate my morning story: