New Chief of Staff for Trump: Save the worst for last

As of Monday, the new White House chief of staff will officially be called Stephen Miller. The 41-year-old father of four is one of US President Donald Trump's closest confidants and long-time political companion. In his previous role as deputy chief of staff for policy, he played a key role in the policy decisions in the White House that led to the election debacle in the recent midterm elections.

At the heart of this policy is an unprecedentedly radical course against migrants. Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested and deported, and there were protests across the country. The actions of the immigration agency ICE resulted in the deaths of several people, including US citizens.

Miller is considered a hardliner and extremist for whom anti-immigration policy is a central concern. Already in Trump's first term in office, he caused outrage with the entry ban for people from Muslim countries and the separation of families at the border.

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Miller also played a key role in Trump's other controversial decisions: the closure of almost all US refugee programs, the campaign against "left-wing" and "woke" universities, military attacks on alleged smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific in which hundreds died, and the dismissal of officials whom Trump classified as disloyal.

Miller's appointment as chief of staff suggests that Trump not only intends to continue his controversial policies, but may want to intensify them. In a speech Friday night at Mar-a-Lago, Miller emphasized his “absolute loyalty” to Trump.

"Stephen Miller is a Trump OG (original gangster) from the very beginning - someone who has stood by the president from the very beginning. There is no more passionate supporter of the Trump agenda than him, and he will help the administration achieve significant successes during this historic second term," wrote Steven Cheung, the director of communications at the White House, on X.

Miller has been part of Trump's inner circle since 2016 - initially as a speechwriter, later in various advisory roles. During the four years that Trump was out of office, the two are said to have been in almost daily contact. Miller drew the lessons from his first term and meticulously prepared for Trump's return to the White House. His participation in “Project 2025,” which is a blueprint for expanding the power of the US presidency and undermining democratic institutions, showed what plans he is pursuing.

Miller's dislike of foreigners reportedly started in high school. Although he grew up in liberal Santa Monica, Southern California, he had few friends who weren't white. Classmates report that he made fun of children of Latin American and Asian descent who spoke poor English.

Trump and Miller now have almost two years to advance their radical agenda without the pressure of a campaign. Democrats will try to block this. It remains to be seen whether Trump is willing to compromise.

However, according to Miller, the Democrats are not a political party, but an “extremist organization.”