SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Eighteen top Trump officials were on the text discussing military strikes in Yemen, published by The Atlantic this week. A journalist was, of course, added to the group, and that included the vice president, the secretary of defense, the secretary of state and a White House figure who is known for channeling the voice of President Trump - Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff. And to look at his role more broadly, NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez joins us. Franco, thanks so much for being with us.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Scott.
SIMON: Let's begin. What did Stephen Miller say on this now-infamous text chain?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, top administration officials were debating the timing of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. And you saw Vice President JD Vance calling the timing a mistake. Then there was some back and forth, and then Stephen Miller chimes in. He basically overrides Vance and the others. He writes, quote, "as I heard it, the president was clear. Green light." And according to the text chain published by The Atlantic, that basically shut down the debate.
SIMON: Franco, what's the significance of Stephen Miller being on this thread to begin with?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it really shows influence and power. Now, look, he's deputy chief of staff. That is a very important role, but he is not cabinet-level, at least not officially. I spoke to Ryan Williams, a veteran Republican strategist. He says Trump is clearly the decision maker but that there is an active discussion among cabinet members and senior staff on how to implement his vision.
RYAN WILLIAMS: This text chain shows that Stephen Miller's perspective means quite a bit in this discussion, and his words may even outweigh those of some cabinet members.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, the White House told me Trump sees Miller as a critical asset for his second term. Steven Cheung, the communications director, said Miller has loyally stood by Trump's side for nearly a decade and has, quote, "been able to channel President Trump's message and voice as a speechwriter on the campaign," as well as at the White House, and has also helped shape his policies.
SIMON: How did Stephen Miller rise to this position?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, he's one of the president's longest-serving advisers. He joined Trump during his first presidential campaign, writing speeches and often serving as a warm-up act on the campaign trail. And as Cheung noted, he got a lot of experience putting Trump's thoughts and ideas into words on signature issues like immigration. Now, Jessica Vaughan is with the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for limits on immigration. She's known Miller since his time as a Senate staffer.
JESSICA VAUGHAN: Not only does he have a very granular knowledge and expertise about the issue, he has a gift of expressing the justification for it, the reasons why this is important to do. And helping others, including the president, express that justification.
ORDOÑEZ: She noted Miller's involvement in Trump deciding to use an obscure wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport large group of Venezuelans who the administration says are gang members to a mega-prison in El Salvador without due process. That's now tied up in the courts, but she credited Miller with getting it approved quickly so that at least a few deportation flights could get out.
SIMON: And how does Stephen Miller approximate or channel the president's voice?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, if you just take that controversy over the deportation flights, the administration went through with the flights despite a court order saying to turn the planes around. Miller has really been outspoken on this, attacking the judge, who blocked the flights for going too far. Here he is on Fox News just last week.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEPHEN MILLER: What this judge tried to do would have meant if this ruling was accepted that a single district court judge can direct the movements of every single aircraft conducting every single deportation of every single criminal and terrorist in the United States. It would collapse the entire immigration enforcement system.
SIMON: Franco, how much of Stephen Miller's work seems to involve immigration?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, this is obviously a top issue for Trump, and Miller continues to be in the middle of it. He's been a key part of the strategy to overwhelm political opponents with all sorts of directives, including efforts to restrict birthright citizenship and designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. You know, he was also, remember, at the center of the most controversial policies of the first administration.
You remember the chaos at the airports after Trump first issued a travel ban on Muslim-majority countries or the zero-tolerance policies on immigration that led to 3,000 children being separated from their parents? But, you know, unlike so many other officials from Trump's first term, who basically fell out of favor with the president, Miller not only survived, he actually returned with much more power and a more prominent role.
SIMON: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thanks so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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