Trump's new policy wonks are proteges of Stephen Miller and Newt Gingrich
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Former President Trump now has the most detailed policy platform of his political career, and it's largely the work of two people you've never heard of.
Why it matters: Trump campaign speechwriters Vince Haley and Ross Worthington are the masterminds behind most of Trump's policy statements. The two worked under Stephen Miller in the Trump White House.
- Haley and Worthington write the first drafts of scripts Trump uses to record policy videos as well as the text on how a second Trump administration would handle issues from education to energy and immigration.
- Those videos and corresponding text on his website go into far more detail than Trump, who famously has little interest in policy, does on the stump.
Zoom in: Trump often goes off-script in his speeches and spends just 11% of the time talking about his policy plans, an Axios analysis found.
- His campaign aides frequently say that he is the most gifted politician and ultimately decides how to message on the issues.
- Trump and his team are also in frequent communication with a constellation of figures on policy ideas, including Trump's former trade representative Robert Lighthizer and former White House budget director Russell Vought, WSJ reported.
The Stephen Miller connection: Haley and Worthington worked under Miller in the White House speechwriting office for four years, co-managing the speechwriting shop.
- "Miller would always go over speech drafts" including both official and political speeches Haley and Worthington wrote, Worthington told Jan. 6 committee investigators in February 2022 after being subpoenaed.
- Though they have next to no public presence, they are known to be very chatty on the campaign's daily internal comms call.
- While Miller is not technically on the campaign, his relationship with his former subordinates and his direct line to Trump allow him to maintain a consequential role in shaping a potential Trump second term.
Between the lines: Both men have deep ties to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
- Haley, a lawyer by training, served as policy director and campaign manager for Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign. They co-authored several books together and Haley was an associate producer on Gingrich's documentary Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny.
- Worthington was deputy communications director for Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign and later authored a book with Gingrich.
