Conspirituality

Brief: “Weird Stephen” Miller

October 18, 2025

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  • Stephen Miller's recent media appearance revealed a moment of 'glitch' when he mentioned "plenary authority," suggesting a slip-up regarding the legal basis for executive power he advocates for, which is central to Project 2025's unitary executive theory. 
  • Miller's long-standing pattern of behavior, documented from his high school days in Santa Monica—where he bullied marginalized students and expressed extreme views—demonstrates a consistent trajectory of entitled, power-hungry bigotry that aligns with his current role shaping authoritarian policy. 
  • Miller's early career involved authoring key documents for the far-right, including Trump's 2016 convention speech and the 2017 inauguration address, establishing him as the primary architect of the administration's proto-fascist rhetoric and policy, particularly concerning immigration. 

Segments

Stephen Miller’s High School Attitude
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(00:00:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Miller’s high school platform involved asserting privilege over janitorial staff by demanding the right to discard trash freely.
  • Summary: A video of 17-year-old Stephen Miller revealed a ‘gross attitude’ consistent with his current demeanor. His high school political platform centered on asserting privilege over service workers. This behavior is linked to his Santa Monica upbringing, which possesses pockets of libertarian ethos and susceptibility to pseudoscience.
Podcast Introduction and Mission
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(00:01:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Conspirituality investigates the intersections of conspiracy theories, spiritual influence, cults, pseudoscience, and authoritarian extremism.
  • Summary: The podcast, Conspirituality, examines how conspiracy theories and spiritual influence intersect with cults, pseudoscience, and authoritarian extremism. Hosts Derek Barris and Julian Walker provide contact information for social media and Patreon access to bonus content. The episode focuses on unpacking the background and recent actions of Stephen Miller.
Santa Monica’s Political Nuances
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(00:03:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Santa Monica, despite being politically blue, harbors a significant ‘conspirituality vortex’ characterized by libertarianism and pseudoscience beliefs.
  • Summary: Santa Monica is an incorporated city separate from Los Angeles, contributing to its unique, somewhat more conservative ethos than expected. This area, along with neighboring Brentwood, was the epicenter of a 2014 measles outbreak due to anti-vaccine sentiment. The region concentrates conspiratorial beliefs, evidenced by high attendance at pseudoscience events like the Medical Medium speaking there.
Miller’s CNN Interview Glitch
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(00:06:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Miller froze during a CNN interview after asserting the President’s ‘plenary authority’ under Title 10 regarding National Guard deployment.
  • Summary: Miller accused protesters of ‘street terrorism’ and called judicial rulings against National Guard deployment ’legal insurrection.’ He cited the President’s ‘plenary authority’ under Title 10 before abruptly stopping mid-sentence, leading the anchor to call for a break. This freeze is interpreted as Miller realizing he overstepped by explicitly stating the goal of complete executive power.
Plenary Authority and Project 2025
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(00:08:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The term ‘plenary authority’ signifies complete and unrestricted power, forming the foundation of the unitary executive theory central to Project 2025.
  • Summary: Plenary authority means having complete power over an issue, which is the explicit goal of Project 2025’s unitary executive theory. This theory posits that all government branches exist to support the executive’s whims. Miller’s verbal slip-up in stating this concept seemed to cause him to freeze, as Title 10 does not explicitly grant this level of power.
Miller’s Rhetorical Style Analysis
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(00:10:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Unlike skilled manipulators, Stephen Miller relies on increasing volume and hysterical hyperbole when challenged, lacking the nuance to wiggle out of factual corrections.
  • Summary: Miller’s response to fact-checking involves ramping up volume and aggression, contrasting with figures like Russ Voigt who use qualifiers to navigate interviews. This style is compared to Deepak Chopra getting louder when frustrated, illustrating Miller’s lack of sophisticated manipulative skill. He seems to believe increased volume equates to increased power.
Miller’s Role in Trump Speeches
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(00:14:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Miller was the primary author of Trump’s 2016 GOP convention speech and co-wrote the infamous 2017 ‘American carnage’ inauguration speech.
  • Summary: Miller’s writing skills were honed before his White House tenure, including a column called ‘Miller Time’ in the Duke Chronicle. After graduating from Duke, he worked for Jeff Sessions, drafting an anti-immigration handbook that helped derail the bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration plan. He also wrote the ‘fight like hell’ speech preceding the January 6th insurrection.
Miller’s Early White Supremacist Views
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(00:16:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Miller’s early writings in college attacked diversity and Maya Angelou, demonstrating a consistent opposition to multiculturalism and leftist perspectives.
  • Summary: In his first Duke Chronicle column, Miller criticized the university for being too diverse and repeatedly inviting Maya Angelou to speak, calling her wisdom ’tired multicultural clichés.’ This behavior mirrors his high school complaints about janitors, showing a long history of entitlement and disdain for marginalized groups. He actively opposed the school’s Chicano student group.
Miller’s Current Policy Influence
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(00:18:16)
  • Key Takeaway: In Trump’s second term, Miller shifted from speechwriting to directly shaping policy, notably attempting to abolish birthright citizenship and demanding high ICE arrest quotas.
  • Summary: Miller is reportedly shaping policy directly, especially immigration, having been behind executive orders in the first week. He allegedly demanded ICE push national arrest quotas to 3,000 people per day in June, despite already holding close to 50,000 people in detention. His slip-up, ‘if I put,’ during the CNN interview suggested a personal, rather than purely administrative, drive for deploying federal forces.
Psychological Profile: Bully Archetype
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(00:21:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Miller’s psychological profile suggests he is an overcompensating bully, evidenced by his high school behavior and current role as a powerful figure.
  • Summary: Investigative journalist Jean Guerrero’s work details Miller’s early white supremacist sociopathy, including bullying ESL students and harassing the Chicano student group. He is the grandchild of Jewish immigrants who fled pogroms, yet he actively targeted marginalized groups. His high school style included dressing like a gangster and using brutal breakups, reinforcing the archetype of an insecure bully seeking power.
High School Edgelord Clip
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(00:27:02)
  • Key Takeaway: As a teenager, Stephen Miller advocated for torture as a ‘celebration of life and human dignity’ for enemy combatants, revealing a budding sociopathic mindset.
  • Summary: Miller argued that the ideal solution for Saddam Hussein was cutting off fingers, stating torture respects life because victims can live afterward. He framed torture as a celebration of life and human dignity, hoping his peers would appreciate this respect for other cultures. This clip is presented as evidence of the sociopathic tendencies now manifesting in his authoritarian policy work.
Young Republican Extremism Parallel
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(00:28:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Recent revelations of young Republicans celebrating Hitler in group texts mirror the extreme, unchastened rhetoric of Miller’s high school behavior.
  • Summary: A recent Politico story exposed young Republican group texts containing statements like ‘I love Hitler’ and threats of gas chambers. This behavior is seen as analogous to Miller’s past rhetoric, suggesting that those who lack a moral core are the ones who attain positions of power. Public shaming of these individuals is deemed important but likely ineffective, as it may fuel their grievance politics.