Donald Trump always has to blame somebody for his failures, and Susie Wiles is blamed for the blue wave. He fired her and elevated Stephen Miller to her former position as chief of staff.
There’s not much here not to understand because Miller is equally as responsible as is Trump for the beating the Republicans experienced in the midterms.
So the only conclusion that can be drawn is that Trump is going to war with the Democrats and that Miller will be his wartime consiglieri.
Miller was a heavy supporter of Trump‘s tariffs and trade wars, which caused inflation of the cost of consumer goods. The Wall Street Journal called these tariffs moronic.
He has called the Iran war “an overwhelming victory.”
He co-wrote and defended Muslim travel bans.
He was behind policies separating children from their migrant parents.
He was the primary architect and overseer of the large scale and terribly cruel deportation of immigrants, using military-like forces, resulting in the death of American citizens. He and ex-Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem set an arrest quota of 3000 people per day.
He ended refugee programs and slashed asylum access.
He promoted restrictions to eliminate by executive action, birthright citizenship in violation of the Constitution.
He wanted to suspend habeas corpus.
He led the president’s war on Harvard and other elite universities. This, although he attended Duke University, another “elitist” school.
He helped to control many of the controversial activities at the Department of Justice (DOJ), and he pushed to terminate the employment of numerous FBI agents whom he claimed were disloyal.
He led the federalization of the DC National Guard.
He announced he would use the DHS and the DOJ to pursue and dismantle organizations suspected of being in violation of a “vast domestic terror movement,” claiming they were responsible for the death of Charlie Kirk.
Trump has now announced a proposal to revoke the tax exempt status of such organizations.
His views are extremely far right and he has been called a white nationalist and a white supremacist because he is.
He called for the American invasion and occupation of Greenland, declaring that we live in a world that is governed by strength, force, and power.
It was reported by Trump himself that Miller wanted only 100,000 people to live in the United States and that they should all look like Miller.
Miller acknowledge this to be true.
I am quite sure that I’ve missed other Miller related events. Feel free to add them.
But Miller is a useful tool in the Trump toolbox. He has no special training or education but his value is that he will do anything Trump asks and he will apply some grey matter to the whims of a person who acts out of blind instinct.
Very dangerous.
What did Suzi Wiles do to bring on a blue onslaught that Miller did not? Nothing. But Miller fits Trump like a glove. Wiles maintained some independence and exerted adult behavior, neither of which suited Trump.
She’s gone and Miller’s in and that should tell us something about Trump‘s intentions for the next two years.
He is absolutely incapable of reconciliation and working together with the Democrats, and it’s going to remain a wild ride.
Jim Astrachan is lawyer who represents clients in intellectual property law and litigation, mediation, and business, regulatory, and transactional matters. He’s a Life Fellow of the Baltimore City Bar Foundation, the Maryland Bar Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation.