President Donald Trump may tap White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to serve as his next National Security Adviser, Axios reported on Friday.
Miller, who currently serves as the Trump administration’s Homeland Security adviser, is one of the few key players who has been with the president through his entire first term in office and into the second — and Axios cited five sources who suggested Miller was a likely choice to move into the position vacated by former Congressman (R-FL) and Green Beret veteran Mike Waltz.
One obvious reason for the move would be the fact that Trump trusts Miller to advance his agenda — and Axios cited one source who noted that Miller was already known within the administration for his efficiency, having ensured that the White House Homeland Security Council runs “like clockwork.” The source also noted that despite having a smaller staff, Miller’s HSC is “infinitely more effective than the NSC [National Security Council].”
Other sources noted that Miller’s ability to work well with Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who currently is doing multiple jobs within the administration including taking up the National Security Adviser role until Waltz’s permanent replacement is found — could be a key factor as well.
“Marco and Stephen have worked really closely on immigration and it might be a perfect match,” one said.
Another added, “Given how well he’s worked with Marco, many see him as the perfect person to restore the role of the NSA to a staff-level policy role that reports to the chief of staff, instead of some inflated Cabinet position.”
The speculation regarding Miller comes after President Trump delivered a surprise staffing shake-up on Thursday, announcing after rumors swirled all day that Waltz had been fired that he instead planned to appoint the former Florida Congressman to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
