The next ringleader of Trump's snake pit

I’ve had the privilege of working in and around four White Houses, and I can tell you they’re nothing like “The West Wing” television series, where everyone loves everyone else. In the White Houses I have known, everyone competes for power and influence.

The Trump White House is even more of a snake pit. And it’s at an especially interesting point right now. Ever since his spectacular flame-out in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Elon Musk has been on the way out. Meanwhile, Trump seems to be losing interest in the job — other than getting revenge and making money.

So who is emerging as Trump’s most powerful ringleader — the person who’s plotting and enforcing overall strategy? (I’m not including Cabinet officers because, as I’ve learned — having served in a president’s Cabinet and carefully watched the workings of many administrations — real power is found inside the White House.)

Here are my major candidates and why I’ve chosen them. I’d be interested in your views.

1. Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff, has been architect of the mass deportations, refusals to grant asylum, and continuing fearmongering of immigrants. He has also been the force behind the regime’s war against “woke” and DEI, its positive treatment of white “refugees” from South Africa in contrast to its rejection of people of color fleeing real violence around the world, and its “civil rights” lawsuits reflecting the bonkers view that the worst forms of discrimination are against white people. Along with Peter Navarro, Miller is also the force behind Trump’s trade wars.

2. Russell Vought, now director of the Office of Management and Budget, is rumored to be about to take over Musk’s “DOGE.” Vought was chief architect of Project 2025 and is now directing the congressional strategy for the “big beautiful bill.” He is also a libertarian who has vowed to “crush the deep state,” urged that civil servants and independent agencies be brought under the control of the White House, and argued that the president rather than Congress has control over federal spending. Vought’s influence appears to be growing, too.

3. JD Vance, vice president and presumed Republican presidential candidate in 2028, seems to be everywhere. He’s apparently the central force behind the regime’s push for patriarchy (recall his claim that the Democratic Party is run by “childless cat ladies”) to put men in charge of their families and communities, restrict women’s reproductive freedoms, and bar transgender women from competing in women’s sports or using their bathrooms. He’s also a major force behind Trump’s strategy with the federal courts, and his influence is growing.

4. Ed Martin, officially associate attorney general, is not widely known but has a growing role as the regime’s top pardon attorney and the head of the Justice Department’s “weaponization” working group. He’s able to target Trump “enemies” and reverse previous convictions of people who have been held accountable for their attacks on democracy. It’s reported that his target list includes propagators of Russiagate, prosecutors in Capitol riot cases, and people who helped cover up Covid-19 origins. By many accounts, his influence in the White House is growing.

Hence today’s Office Hours discussion question: Who’s emerging as the most powerful ringleader within the Trump White House?

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Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/."