Stephen Miller’s vision of power without guardrails
Stephen Miller is not an outlier in Trump’s orbit, he is the blueprint.
Trump told us he would hire “only the best people.” That was the pitch. In reality, what he delivered was a collection of people who range from incompetent to openly malicious.
I am very careful about calling anyone “evil incarnate.” It is not a phrase I throw around. But if you were going to build a case study of that concept, Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Stephen Miller would be very close to the textbook example.
Miller has been at the center of some of the most cruel and destructive policies of the Trump era. He is also one of the most confident liars in Trump’s orbit, and the latest round of interviews he has done makes that painfully clear.
The $2,000 “Tariff Dividend” Scam
On Fox Business, Larry Kudlow asked Miller a simple question: is Trump seriously going to push this new “two thousand dollar tariff dividend,” or was it just something he threw out off the cuff?
Miller insisted it is a core part of Trump’s “economic plan.” He talked about “record revenue” from tariffs, claimed lower corporate and personal taxes would be offset by money from “foreign imports,” and said that this money would “power the Treasury” and fund rebates for Americans.
He delivers it like he is reciting basic math.
In reality, none of this is grounded in how tariffs work. Trump only floated the “tariff dividend” in a recent Truth Social post. There is no detailed plan behind it, only staff scrambling to retrofit one.
And tariffs are not a magic tax on other countries. They are paid by American companies, which then raise prices. A big chunk of the cost has already been passed along to American consumers. The “revenue” Miller is bragging about is money you are already paying in higher prices.
So what is the “two thousand dollars”?
The government charges American companies more through tariffs.
Those companies raise prices and you pay more at the store.
The government sends some of that money back and calls it a “dividend.”
Trump declares himself generous for “giving” you a check.
It is like someone taking three thousand dollars from your wallet, handing you two thousand back, and demanding to be thanked.
Miller’s specific job is to sell all of this with total confidence. Dress it up in phrases about “record revenue” and “rebates” and hope viewers do not notice that the entire idea is built on a basic economic lie.
Nuking the Filibuster for Power
The tariffs are not the only thing on Miller’s list. In the same round of interviews, he talked about something even more dangerous: ending the Senate filibuster.
Kudlow asked whether Trump plans to push to abolish it. Miller’s answer was yes.
He claims Democrats will end the filibuster the next time they control the House, Senate, and White House, and says they have “advertised” this for years. Then he launches into a familiar fear script:
Democrats will pass “Communist health care.”
They will abolish private insurance and throw people off employer plans.
They will give citizenship to every undocumented immigrant and invite “millions more.”
They will pack the Supreme Court with “Marxist” judges.
None of this describes actual Democratic proposals. It is a horror story designed to scare viewers into accepting whatever power grabs Trump wants, including blowing up the filibuster when it benefits him.
The Authoritarian Résumé
You cannot separate this rhetoric from Miller’s record.
He pushed family separation at the border.
He cheered the Muslim ban.
He worked to shut down asylum.
He loved the “send them to blue cities” cruelty.
He is obsessed with ideological screenings and loyalty tests.
This is not a normal disagreement over policy details. It is a consistent project: use the state to punish vulnerable people and then lie about it with a straight face.
Authoritarian movements reward people like this. The more willing you are to inflict cruelty in service of the leader, the more power you get. Miller is not a fringe outlier in Trump world. He is its purest expression.
So when he explains that Trump wants to end the filibuster, you should hear that in the context of a broader effort to remove guardrails that limit their ability to rule.
Majority Rule When It Helps, Minority Rule When It Hurts
Here is the basic pattern.
When Trump and Miller have the numbers, they want simple majority rule. No filibuster, no checks, no brakes. When they do not have the numbers, they want structures that allow minority rule: fewer people voting, gerrymandered districts, courts and state governments willing to ignore what voters chose, and presidents who can override Congress.
Ending the filibuster in that environment is not about healthy majoritarian democracy. It is about making it easier to lock in an agenda that cannot reliably win broad support, while other anti-democratic tools keep that agenda in place.
Miller’s dream setup looks like this:
Republicans in power get to operate without the filibuster.
When they are out of power, other barriers are used to stop Democrats from governing, even if Democrats win elections.
The goal is a system where the rules are flexible for them and rigid for everyone else.
Why This All Matters Now
This is why upcoming elections, particularly the 2026 House races, are so important. A Trump movement backed by people like Stephen Miller, with control of the White House, Senate, and House, is not just “Republicans back in charge.” It is the infrastructure for rolling back basic democratic protections.
The “tariff dividend” is not just bad economics. It is part of the same pattern as the filibuster talk. Take something harmful or self-serving, rebrand it as a gift or a necessary defense, and count on confusion to carry it over the finish line.
Trump said he would hire the best people. What he did was empower some of the most cynical and cruel figures in modern American politics, people who will happily tell you that money you already paid is a bonus, and that dismantling democratic norms is just a way to stop imaginary Marxist plots.
Do you think voters see through this strategy around tariffs and the filibuster, or is the branding effective? Let me know in the comments.
We’re reaching over 150 million people every month across YouTube, podcasts, Substack, and beyond. But algorithms can change. Platforms can fold. And when that happens, this newsletter is how we stay connected.
If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider joining.
If you’re already paid on one platform, consider supporting us on both Substack and our website.
You can subscribe on our website and right here on Substack.
And if you’re really on fire, consider gifting a subscription—we’ve got thousands on our waiting list ready to read, watch, and fight back.
Let’s keep building.
—David
PS: Can’t contribute right now? No problem. You can support us for free by subscribing on YouTube, listening to our audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or become a free subscriber to this very Substack. Every bit counts.
Miller is a mental incompetent deplorable person. They put all of us Americans in the hole with credit cards because all the prices have gone up and we can't control it. Impeach his whole regime Plus more of the mega people that support him!!!!!
unfortunately, their branding is entirely too effective because too many people beyond their base don't want to think for themselves and readily accept the 'expert' opinions of those in the regime and their mouthpieces.
saddest effin thing those sheeple can do. . .