Trump no longer 'comfortable' with how 'far' top advisor has gone: report

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he announces a deal with Pfizer to sell drugs at lower prices, in the Oval office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS / Ken Cedeno

President Donald Trump has frequently had to answer for one of his top advisors, who has angered everyone from ordinary Americans, to Republican senators and even CEOs of public traded corporations. However, the president has yet to take any concrete action to limit his influence and power.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller – who has been a key member of Trump's inner circle since his first administration – is an increasingly divisive figure in the president's second term. Trump's hardline immigration enforcement tactics seen in Minneapolis and Chicago are the brainchild of Miller, who convinced the president to center his 2024 campaign on immigration rather than the economy.

However, the Trump administration's actions in Minneapolis – which include the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti — have put Miller in the spotlight. After Pretti was killed, the deputy White House chief of staff asserted that Pretti was an "assassin" wanted to do "maximum damage to law enforcement." This is despite ample video evidence showing the 37 year-old ICU nurse never reached for his gun, let alone threatened federal agents.

The Journal's Josh Dawsey and Tarini Parti wrote in their report that "cracks have appeared" in the Oval Office, as the administration faces mounting pressure over its heavy-handed tactics.

"The president, aware of polls showing that much of his immigration agenda isn’t popular, has told advisers he wasn’t comfortable with how far Miller has gone on some fronts, according to people who have spoken with Trump," the Journal reported. "The president has said that business officials are calling and complaining to him about longtime workers being thrown out of the country."

Miller has also attracted the ire of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who has called on both Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired. The retiring Republican senator accused both Miller and Noem of taking Trump's strongest issue and turning it into a liability for Republicans ahead of the midterms.

"That is amateur hour at its worst,” Tillis said, adding, “Stephen Miller never fails to live up to my expectations of incompetence.”

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