Thread
02-21-2025, 01:22 AM
Stephen Miller gave (https://www.foxnews.com/media/stephen-miller-battles-jake-tapper-false-media-narrative-about-federal-aid-freeze) the White House press corps a "civics lesson" on presidential powers at Thursday's press briefing, to the delight of conservatives.
The White House deputy chief of staff for policy responded to a question comparing media concerns about Elon Musk serving as an "unelected bureaucrat" while ignoring former President Joe Biden's declining mental state.
"You’re tempting me to say very harsh things about some of our media friends," he began. "It is true that many of the people in this room for four years failed to cover the fact that Joe Biden was mentally incompetent (https://www.foxnews.com/media/shielding-biden-journalists-shed-light-medias-cover-up-weakened-president) and was not running the country."
"It is also true that many people in this room who have used this talking point that Elon is not elected fail to understand how government works. So I’m glad for the opportunity for a brief civics lesson," he continued.
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/1200/675/stephenmiller.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
WHITE HOUSE OUTLINES WHERE DOGE SAVINGS COULD GO AFTER TRUMP FLOATS RETURNING 20% TO AMERICANS (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-outlines-where-doge-savings-go-trump-floats-returning-20-americans)
"A president is elected by the whole American people. He’s the only official in the entire government that is elected by the entire nation, right? Judges are appointed. Members of Congress are elected at the district or state level. The Constitution, Article II has a clause known as the Vesting Clause. And it says the executive power shall be vested in a president, singular. The whole will of democracy is imbued into the elected president. That president then appoints staff to then impose that democratic will onto the government."
Miller went on to describe what he felt was the true threat.
"The threat to democracy, indeed the existential threat to democracy, is the unelected bureaucracy of lifetime-tenured civil servants who believe they answer to no one, who believes [sic] they can do whatever they want without consequence, who believes they can set their own agenda no matter what Americans vote for," he said.
Miller went on to call out FBI, Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department bureaucrats who "don’t want to change" despite Americans voting in favor of radical reform.
"What President Trump is doing is he is removing federal bureaucrats who are defying democracy by failing to implement his lawful orders, which are the will of the whole American people," he concluded.
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/01/1200/675/biden-459.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
Miller described the scope of presidential powers to defend DOGE while calling out the media's lack of interest in bureaucracy during the Biden administration. (Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE (http://foxnews.com/media)
Some conservative X users praised Miller’s answer as a pushback against biased reporters.
Comedian Tim Young wrote, "Stephen Miller torches the media and calls them out on now knowing how the government works: 'I'm glad for an opportunity for a brief civics lesson.' I loved every second of this."
"Stephen Miller goes straight Schoolhouse Rock!" Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs exclaimed.
"He's right, you know," National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin remarked.
Mo. Sen. Josh Hawley's communications director, Abigail Jackson, wrote, "I love this clip of StephenM calling the media out to their faces about their refusal to cover Biden’s mental incompetence. So good."
"Stephen Miller explains in very clear and concise terms to the ignorant news media how Donald Trump was elected to represent the will of the American people, and that it isn’t the place of unelected career bureaucrats to run their own agendas," conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP (https://www.foxnews.com/download)
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @lmkornick.]]]
"Who's the wild man now!"
The White House deputy chief of staff for policy responded to a question comparing media concerns about Elon Musk serving as an "unelected bureaucrat" while ignoring former President Joe Biden's declining mental state.
"You’re tempting me to say very harsh things about some of our media friends," he began. "It is true that many of the people in this room for four years failed to cover the fact that Joe Biden was mentally incompetent (https://www.foxnews.com/media/shielding-biden-journalists-shed-light-medias-cover-up-weakened-president) and was not running the country."
"It is also true that many people in this room who have used this talking point that Elon is not elected fail to understand how government works. So I’m glad for the opportunity for a brief civics lesson," he continued.
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/1200/675/stephenmiller.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
WHITE HOUSE OUTLINES WHERE DOGE SAVINGS COULD GO AFTER TRUMP FLOATS RETURNING 20% TO AMERICANS (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-outlines-where-doge-savings-go-trump-floats-returning-20-americans)
"A president is elected by the whole American people. He’s the only official in the entire government that is elected by the entire nation, right? Judges are appointed. Members of Congress are elected at the district or state level. The Constitution, Article II has a clause known as the Vesting Clause. And it says the executive power shall be vested in a president, singular. The whole will of democracy is imbued into the elected president. That president then appoints staff to then impose that democratic will onto the government."
Miller went on to describe what he felt was the true threat.
"The threat to democracy, indeed the existential threat to democracy, is the unelected bureaucracy of lifetime-tenured civil servants who believe they answer to no one, who believes [sic] they can do whatever they want without consequence, who believes they can set their own agenda no matter what Americans vote for," he said.
Miller went on to call out FBI, Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department bureaucrats who "don’t want to change" despite Americans voting in favor of radical reform.
"What President Trump is doing is he is removing federal bureaucrats who are defying democracy by failing to implement his lawful orders, which are the will of the whole American people," he concluded.
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/01/1200/675/biden-459.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
Miller described the scope of presidential powers to defend DOGE while calling out the media's lack of interest in bureaucracy during the Biden administration. (Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE (http://foxnews.com/media)
Some conservative X users praised Miller’s answer as a pushback against biased reporters.
Comedian Tim Young wrote, "Stephen Miller torches the media and calls them out on now knowing how the government works: 'I'm glad for an opportunity for a brief civics lesson.' I loved every second of this."
"Stephen Miller goes straight Schoolhouse Rock!" Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs exclaimed.
"He's right, you know," National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin remarked.
Mo. Sen. Josh Hawley's communications director, Abigail Jackson, wrote, "I love this clip of StephenM calling the media out to their faces about their refusal to cover Biden’s mental incompetence. So good."
"Stephen Miller explains in very clear and concise terms to the ignorant news media how Donald Trump was elected to represent the will of the American people, and that it isn’t the place of unelected career bureaucrats to run their own agendas," conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP (https://www.foxnews.com/download)
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @lmkornick.]]]
"Who's the wild man now!"