From WIRED · Vittoria Elliott · · 3m
Stephen Miller's biographer on his rise to chief of staff
Jean Guerrero, who wrote the biography Hatemonger, explains how Miller's class supremacy drives his immigration agenda.
In brief
Jean Guerrero, who wrote the biography Hatemonger, explains how Miller's class supremacy drives his immigration agenda. Stephen Miller, named chief of staff after midterm losses, will likely intensify his anti-immigrant agenda, according to his biographer Jean Guerrero, who now sees him as a class supremacist seeking…
Miller named Trump's chief of staff
President Donald Trump appointed Stephen Miller, his longtime adviser and architect of the administration's immigration agenda, as his new chief of staff last week.
Miller's power in a divided Congress
With Democrats holding majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives after the midterm elections, Miller will likely play a critical role shaping the White House's agenda over the next two years.
Who is Jean Guerrero
Journalist Jean Guerrero wrote Hatemonger, a two thousand twenty biography of Miller that charted his rise in Trump's first administration and explored the ideas and experiences that shaped his beliefs.
Miller's long-held power
Guerrero says Miller has had disproportionate power for a long time and has been instrumental in Trump's actions from the first campaign to today, always turning his role into something more than it has been…
Why Trump chose Miller now
Trump is hoping Miller will help him recover from the midterm losses by using anti-immigrant scapegoating to distract people and rally his base, a strategy that has worked before.
Guerrero's evolved understanding
Guerrero now sees Miller as a class supremacist and case study in oligarchic capture rather than fundamentally a white nationalist, a shift in her understanding since writing Hatemonger.
Miller's teenage class supremacy
Guerrero traced Miller's class supremacy back to high school, where he demanded custodial staff pick up his trash and protested requests to clean up after himself, wanting to keep everyone in their place.
The Camp of the Saints influence
Miller was influenced by The Camp of the Saints, a white supremacist French novel where heroes advocate for wiping out brown immigrants and villains include citizen allies of immigrants.
Miller's true goal: a servant class
Guerrero concludes that Miller wants a servant class, not a working class. By criminalizing immigrants and forcing them into the shadows, they cannot link arms with other workers to demand dignity.
“Stephen Miller wants a servant class, not a working class.”
What comes next under Miller
Guerrero expects Miller to double down on his agenda, shifting toward performative cruelty and characterizing social justice advocates as domestic terrorists while attacking privacy and free speech rights.
The headline
Stephen Miller, named chief of staff after midterm losses, will likely intensify his anti-immigrant agenda, according to his biographer Jean Guerrero, who now sees him as a class supremacist seeking a servant class rather than a working class.
