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 turned to Democrats in the midterms, two people familiar with the administration’s plans told Axios.
Why it’s important: Miller, appointed 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 Republican Party in droves during last week’s election, amid high prices fueled by Trump’s tariffs, the war in Iran and concerns about the impact of AI on the job market.
- Another key factor in last week’s vote: Latino men also shifted heavily toward Democrats, as the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown has become an increasingly contentious political issue.
Driving the news: Miller wants to spend more time highlighting administration policies that he says haven’t gotten enough attention, and that will appeal to working-class voters concerned about the economy, insiders told Axios.
- His priorities will sound familiar to Trump watchers: eliminating what the administration considers “woke” policies in universities and workplaces, lowering prescription drug prices and rooting out government and health care fraud.
- He also wants to emphasize cutting federal bureaucracy and pushing for licensing reform, while emphasizing how those efforts could help improve affordability.
- Business sources say Miller’s ideological drive makes him largely impervious to typical Washington lobbying.
Yes, but: As Democrats take control of Congress in January, Miller will need to advance this agenda without help from Republican majorities in the House or Senate.
- Some of his plans could be pursued through executive orders from Trump. Others, including authorizing reform, would require bipartisan cooperation.
- That could be a challenge: Miller, a political fighter who has been called Trump’s “war consigliere,” is not popular among Democrats.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is set to become House speaker in January, said he has “no 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 this demographic by 22 points in House races, a gap of 36 points.
- The change was even more pronounced among young Latino men, who went from 2 points of support for Trump in 2024 to 37 points of support for Democrats in 2026.
- Young voters with a high school education or less swung 37 points toward Democrats — ranging from supporting 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 nation’s three biggest problems, according to the Tufts study.
- Among young voters who said they were behind financially, 73% supported Democratic House candidates.
Miller’s focus on young men is not new. He made direct appeals to them during the 2024 Trump campaign.
- During an appearance on Fox News just before the 2024 election, he urged young men to support Trump, telling them to “show that you’re a real man” and “not a beta.”
- On Election Day 2024, Miller posted on X: “Bring every man you know to the polls. »
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