Political reporters know: If you include the word “Trump” in a tweet, you’ll often see your mentions assaulted by white nationalists, anti-Semites, and/or Breitbart loyalists. Stephen Miller knows the routine well. But Miller usually gets an even bigger reaction when he tweets: He shares a name with one of Trump’s highest profile advisors, a frequent keynote speaker at campaign events who specializes in inciting “Build the wall!” chants. That Stephen Miller is not on Twitter. This Stephen Miller, an anti-Trump blogger for conservative sites such as Heat Street and National Review, is.
And if his Twitter mentions are any indication, everyone hates him.
Miller has relished the mix-up. “It’s simply about screwing with people on a platform of social media that exists pretty much just to screw with people,” he says. “It’s fun.”
“I never get tired of it,” he adds. “I have no idea what I’m going to do when the election is over.”
Miller on Monday suggested Hillary Clinton’s clothing carried the subtle likeness of Harambe (May God rest his soul, etc.)—a tweet Newsday reporter Matthew Chayes jumped on:
Chayes realized his mistake earlier than most: He deleted the tweet and apologized.
Sharing a name with a Trump senior policy advisor has also landed Miller misplaced invitations to appear on Sunday shows. Naturally, he’s used those to promote his anti-Trump pieces.
Miller’s favorite exchange came during the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, when he quoted a joke about liberal celebrities heaping praise upon “a select group of white people,” “just like the Oscars.”
Bill Burton, a former White House deputy press secretary for Obama, fired back:
Seriously. You work for Trump and want to have a conversation about privileged white people?
Delete your account.
https://t.co/Lo3L0lJieU— Bill Burton (@billburton) July 26, 2016
Miller, in master troll form, challenged Burton to an on-air debate.
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/757753535396216832
And Burton accepted.
name the day
— Bill Burton (@billburton) July 26, 2016
Miller set up the time and place.
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/757758115546816512
And Burton still didn’t seem to get it.
cute but I just landed. Maybe later this week.
— Bill Burton (@billburton) July 26, 2016
Two months later, Miller says, “I’m still waiting to hear back from him.”
Elaina Plott joined Washingtonian in June 2016 as a staff writer. She has written about her past life as an Ann Coulter fangirl, how the Obamas changed Washington, and the rise and fall of Roll Call. She previously covered Congress for National Review. Her writing has appeared in the New York Observer, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar.
