Rep.
The exchange, first reported by Breitbart, unfolded as Hayes asked Raskin, "What do you think the Stephen Miller announcement signals?" Raskin's response characterized both the president and his incoming chief of staff in stark terms, reflecting the Democratic Party's immediate and hostile reaction to the personnel move.
The announcement itself came Friday, when President Trump named Miller — his powerful domestic policy adviser and the architect of some of the administration's most aggressive immigration enforcement policies — to replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. The promotion is set to take effect Monday, according to The New York Times, which first reported the decision.
Wiles, the first woman to hold the top staff job in the West Wing, said Friday would be her last day. She is the highest-ranking White House official to depart in the wake of the midterm elections, which cost Republicans their majorities in both the House and Senate.
The Democratic response was swift and uniform.
Raskin's remarks on MS NOW went further than his colleagues', framing the decision through a psychological lens. The congressman, a former constitutional law professor who served on the House January 6 Committee, has been one of the administration's most persistent critics in Congress.
According to The New York Times, Miller's pitch for the chief of staff job included advising the president to wind down the war with Iran — a conflict the president's core supporters viewed as a betrayal. People familiar with Miller's views told the Times he is also likely to steer Trump away from seeking deals with Democrats, and toward leaning further into culture war issues including hardline immigration enforcement and efforts to target diversity initiatives.
The Guardian reported that Miller, more than any other single person, is responsible for the series of immigration raids across U.S. cities over the past two years, and that he has pushed the administration to all but shut down legal immigration. The outlet also reported that Miller devised the legal framework for using the Alien Enemies Act to expel Venezuelan immigrants and that, during the first Trump administration, he designed the now-notorious zero tolerance policy and the travel restrictions on Muslim-majority countries.
The New York Times reported that the decision to elevate Miller follows a "decisive rebuke" from voters on a range of issues including the economy, the war with Iran, and the deportation campaign directed by Miller. The Times also reported that the Republican wipeout has inflamed tensions within the administration as officials brace for congressional investigations by Democrats and further turnover in the West Wing and cabinet.
The White House has not responded publicly to Raskin's specific characterizations. The president, according to the Times, defended his pick by describing Miller as a loyal "MVP" — a phrase the outlet reported in its coverage of the announcement.
It is not yet known whether Raskin's comments will be followed by formal congressional action, though Democrats have signaled they intend to pursue investigations once they take control of the House in January.
Our Take
Here's what Jamie Raskin's little cable news therapy session actually tells you: Democrats are terrified of Stephen Miller.
They should be. For two years, Miller has been the tip of the spear on the America First agenda — the man who actually believed in the deportation campaign when plenty of establishment Republicans were looking for an off-ramp. Now he's getting the gatekeeper's office, and the Left is melting down on national television, reaching for words like "sadist" because they can't attack the results.
Notice what Raskin didn't say. He didn't say Miller was wrong on the border. He didn't say the deportation campaign failed. He didn't say the Iran war was a mistake — because plenty of Democrats were cheering it on before they decided it was a political liability. He went straight to name-calling. That's what you do when you've got no argument left.
The Times says Miller will steer Trump away from deals with Democrats and toward the culture war. Good. The midterms were a setback, no sense pretending otherwise — but the answer to a setback isn't to hand the keys to the people who just spent two years calling half the country xenophobes and worse. The answer is to fight harder for the voters who put Trump in office twice.
Patriots, this is the moment to pay attention. The administration is reorganizing for the fights ahead, and the other side is already showing you their playbook: smear the man, avoid the record, and hope you forget that the border was the number one issue in 2024. Don't forget. Call your representatives. And watch what Miller does in his first hundred days — because the people calling him a sadist are the same people who thought the border was fine.
