History of Stephen Miller (political advisor) in Timeline

Stephen Miller is an American political advisor known for his influential role in the Trump administration. He served as a senior advisor for policy, White House director of speechwriting, and later as a key architect of Trump's immigration policies. Often described as far-right and anti-immigration, Miller's policies and rhetoric have been controversial. Since 2025, he is the 12th United States homeland security advisor and White House deputy chief of staff for policy.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

January 7, 1903: Arrival at Ellis Island

On January 7, 1903, Wolf-Lieb Glosser, Stephen Miller's great-grandfather, arrived at Ellis Island from Antopol with $8.

1906: Great-Grandmother Emigrates to the U.S.

In 1906, Stephen Miller's great-grandmother emigrated to the U.S. from the Russian Empire, escaping anti-Jewish pogroms.

August 23, 1985: Stephen Miller Born

On August 23, 1985, Stephen Miller was born. He later became a political advisor.

2002: Letter to the Editor

In 2002, at the age of 16, Stephen Miller wrote a letter to the editor of the Santa Monica Outlook criticizing his school's response to the September 11 attacks.

March 2007: Co-member with Richard Spencer

In March 2007, Stephen Miller and the Duke Conservative Union helped co-member Richard Spencer, with fundraising and promotion for an immigration policy debate.

2007: Earns Bachelor's Degree from Duke University

In 2007, Stephen Miller earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University, where he studied political science.

2009: Communications Director for Senator Jeff Sessions

In 2009, Stephen Miller became the communications director for Senator Jeff Sessions, who later became the United States attorney general under President Trump.

2009: Joins Jeff Sessions' Office

In 2009, Stephen Miller began working for Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, eventually becoming Sessions' communications director.

2014: Works on Dave Brat's Campaign

In 2014, Stephen Miller also worked on Dave Brat's successful House campaign, which unseated Republican majority leader Eric Cantor.

January 2016: Joins Trump Campaign

In January 2016, Stephen Miller joined Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as a senior policy adviser.

February 8, 2016: Interview with InfoWars

On February 8, 2016, Stephen Miller participated in an interview with InfoWars, praising the site and its owner, Alex Jones, for its coverage of immigration and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

March 2016: Campaign Speaker

Beginning in March 2016, Stephen Miller regularly spoke on the campaign's behalf, serving as a "warm-up act" for Trump.

August 3, 2016: Controversial Meeting Attended

On August 3, 2016, Stephen Miller reportedly attended a controversial meeting which included George Nader, Wikistrat CEO Joel Zamel, Erik Prince, and Donald Trump Jr.

August 2016: Head of Trump's Economic Policy Team

In August 2016, Stephen Miller was named the head of Donald Trump's economic policy team.

November 2016: Named National Policy Director of Transition Team

In November 2016, Stephen Miller was named national policy director of Donald Trump's transition team.

December 13, 2016: Senior Advisor to the President for Policy

On December 13, 2016, the transition team announced that Stephen Miller would serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy during the Trump administration.

2016: Nation-State Populism

In 2016, Miller and Sessions developed what Miller describes as "nation-state populism", which influenced Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

2016: Spencer Claims Mentorship

In 2016, Richard Spencer claimed that he had mentored Stephen Miller at Duke University.

2016: Joins Trump's Presidential Campaign

In 2016, Stephen Miller joined Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and later joined the first Trump administration as a senior advisor to the president and the White House director of speechwriting.

February 2017: Criticized federal courts on Face the Nation

In February 2017, Stephen Miller criticized the federal courts for blocking Trump's travel ban on CBS' "Face the Nation", accusing the judiciary of overreach. He also falsely claimed significant voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election.

February 2017: Intolerance Allegations

In February 2017, it was reported by The News & Observer that Stephen Miller "seemed to assume that if you were in disagreement with him, there was something malevolent or stupid about your thinking—incredibly intolerant." while at Duke.

May 2017: Role in Comey's Firing

In May 2017, Stephen Miller played an influential role in Trump's decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

August 2, 2017: Heated exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta

On August 2, 2017, Stephen Miller engaged in a heated exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta at a White House briefing regarding the Trump administration's support for the RAISE Act. The debate centered on the connection between the Statue of Liberty and immigration, with Miller disputing Acosta's interpretation of the statue's welcoming message.

September 2017: Stops Publication of Positive Refugee Study

In September 2017, The New York Times reported that Stephen Miller stopped the Trump administration from showing the public an internal study by the Department of Health and Human Services that found that refugees had a net positive effect on government revenues.

September 2017: DACA Rescission

In September 2017, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was rescinded.

October 2017: Trump's Immigration Reform Demands

In October 2017, Trump provided a list of immigration reform demands to Congress; Stephen Miller and Jeff Sessions helped develop the demands.

November 2017: Interviewed by Robert Mueller

In November 2017, Stephen Miller was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller in relation to his role in Comey's dismissal.

November 2017: Contact with George Papadopoulos

In November 2017, The New York Times reported that Stephen Miller was in regular contact with George Papadopoulos during the campaign about his discussions with Russian government officials.

2017: Distances Himself from Bannon

In 2017, Stephen Miller distanced himself from Steve Bannon as Bannon fell out of favor with others in the White House.

2017: Speechwriter for Trump's Inaugural Address

In 2017, Stephen Miller helped write Trump's inaugural address as a speechwriter and became a key advisor from the early days of Trump's presidency.

January 7, 2018: Contentious interview on CNN's State of the Union

On January 7, 2018, Stephen Miller appeared on Jake Tapper's "State of the Union" on CNN, calling Steve Bannon's comments "grotesque" and praising Trump as a "political genius". The interview became contentious, with Tapper ending it early. Miller refused to leave the CNN studio after the interview.

May 2018: Reported Attendance at Meeting

In May 2018, it was reported that Stephen Miller had attended a controversial meeting which included George Nader on behalf of two Arab princes, Wikistrat CEO Joel Zamel, Erik Prince, and Donald Trump Jr., on August 3, 2016.

July 2018: Firing of Jennifer Arangio

In July 2018, senior White House official Jennifer Arangio was fired after she reportedly advocated that the United States remain in the Global Compact for Migration and defended the State Department's refugee bureau when Miller sought to defund it.

August 13, 2018: Uncle's Essay Published

On August 13, 2018, Politico published an essay by Stephen Miller's uncle, Dr. David S. Glosser, titled "Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I'm His Uncle", detailing the Glosser family's history.

October 2018: Proposed student visa ban for Chinese nationals

In October 2018, Stephen Miller proposed stopping the provision of student visas to Chinese nationals to reduce Chinese espionage and hurt elite universities critical of Trump. This proposal gained support from Peter Navarro but faced opposition from Terry Branstad, who argued it would harm U.S. trade with China.

April 7, 2019: Role in Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation

On April 7, 2019, Stephen Miller played a central role in the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen due to her opposition to Miller's plan for mass arrests of undocumented immigrant families. Miller was also leaking information to the Washington Examiner to publish anti-immigration stories criticizing Nielsen.

April 2019: Role in Kirstjen Nielsen's Resignation

In April 2019, Stephen Miller reportedly played a central role in the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, believing she was insufficiently hawkish on immigration.

November 2019: Emails Leaked

In November 2019, Stephen Miller's emails were leaked, revealing that he had promoted articles from white nationalist publications VDARE and American Renaissance, and had espoused conspiracy theories.

November 2019: Ilhan Omar calls Miller a white nationalist

In November 2019, following an exposé by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Representative Ilhan Omar reshared an April tweet calling Stephen Miller a white nationalist, adding that "now we have the emails to prove it".

2019: Attempt to use public health powers for border restrictions

In 2019, Stephen Miller tried to use public health powers to implement long-term border restrictions, as revealed in leaked emails.

February 16, 2020: Marriage to Katie Waldman

On February 16, 2020, Stephen Miller married Katie Waldman, who was also an administration official.

November 2020: Birth of first daughter

Shortly after the November 2020 election, Stephen Miller and Katie Waldman welcomed their first daughter.

2020: Advised against mask-wearing during COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephen Miller advised Trump not to openly embrace mask-wearing to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

April 7, 2021: Launched America First Legal Foundation

On April 7, 2021, Stephen Miller launched the America First Legal Foundation, a conservative legal organization.

February 2022: Birth of son

In February 2022, Stephen Miller and Katie Waldman had a son.

September 8, 2022: Subpoenaed by federal grand jury

On September 8, 2022, Stephen Miller was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, with a special focus on the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

September 2023: Birth of second son

In September 2023, Stephen Miller and Katie Waldman welcomed another son.

October 7, 2024: Speech at Trump campaign rally

On October 7, 2024, Stephen Miller gave a speech at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Madison Square Garden, stating "America is for Americans and Americans only".

November 13, 2024: Confirmed as Deputy Chief of Staff

On November 13, 2024, Trump confirmed that Stephen Miller would serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security Advisor.

November 2024: Named Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor

In November 2024, it was announced that Stephen Miller would serve as Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor in his second term.

January 2025: Met with Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg

In January 2025, Stephen Miller met with Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg to push for policies more favorable to Trump. He has also developed a close relationship with Elon Musk.

January 20, 2025: Takes Office

On January 20, 2025, Stephen Miller took office as Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor.

February 2025: Involved in economic discussions regarding tariffs

In February 2025, Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro were leading officials in the economic discussions regarding the imposition of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico.