Scoop — Stephen Miller's post-midterm focus: MAGA and men
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White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is seen in the presidential limousine at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. on Nov. 6. Photo: Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
Stephen Miller wants to use his new role as White House chief of staff to win back young and minority men who helped elect President Trump in 2024 but swung toward Democrats in the midterms, two people familiar with the administration's plans tell Axios.
Why it matters: Miller, named last week to replace Susie Wiles, plans to focus on reviving the populist agenda that helped the president build his 2024 coalition, with an emphasis on working-class voters.
Young, working-class and minority men fled the GOP in droves in last week's elections, amid high prices fueled by Trump's tariffs, the war in Iran, and concerns about AI's impact on the job market.
- Another key factor in last week's voting: Latino men also swung sharply toward Democrats, as the administration's hard-line immigration crackdown became an increasingly contentious political issue.
Driving the news: Miller wants to spend more time highlighting administration policies he believes haven't gotten enough attention, and that will appeal to working-class voters concerned about the economy, insiders tell Axios.
- His priorities will sound familiar to Trump watchers: eliminating what the administration considers "woke" policies from colleges and workplaces, lowering prescription drug prices, and rooting out government and health-care fraud.
- He also wants to emphasize reducing the federal bureaucracy and push for permitting reform, while highlighting how those efforts could help address affordability.
- Sources in the business community say Miller's ideological drive makes him mostly impervious to typical Washington lobbying.
Yes, but: With Democrats taking control of Congress in January, Miller will have to advance that agenda without the help of Republican majorities in either the House or Senate.
- Some of his plans could be pursued through executive orders by Trump. Others, including permitting reform, would require bipartisan cooperation.
- That could be a challenge: Miller, a political fighter who's been called Trump's "wartime consigliere," isn't popular among Democrats.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who's in line to become House speaker in January, has said he has "zero interest" in working with Miller, whose immigration policies have made him a frequent target of Democratic attacks.
Flashback: Trump won men under 30 by 14 points in the 2024 election, according to a Tufts University study of election data.
- Last week, Democrats won that demographic by 22 points in House races — a 36-point shift.
- The shift was even more pronounced among young Latino men, who went from backing Trump by 2 points in 2024 to favoring Democrats by 37 points in 2026.
- Young voters with a high school education or less swung 37 points toward Democrats — from backing Trump by 12 points in 2024 to favoring Democrats by 25 points in the midterms.
More than half of voters under 30 cited the economy and jobs as one of the country's three biggest issues, according to the Tufts study.
- Among young voters who said they were falling behind financially, 73% backed Democratic House candidates.
Miller's focus on young men isn't new. He made direct appeals to them during Trump's 2024 campaign.
- During a Fox News appearance just before the 2024 election, he urged young men to embrace their support for Trump, telling them to "show that you are a real man" and "not a beta."
- On Election Day 2024, Miller posted on X: "Get every man you know to the polls."
