America is divided over Miller’s appointment, but Trump strikes back with the martial arts king

The appointment of Stephen Miller, a controversial ideologue of the American far right, as the new White House Chief of Staff has shaken Washington and divided the country, heralding a toxic and chaotic atmosphere in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency. And just a few hours later, Trump reinforced his combative response to his electoral defeat with another move: he publicly offered, on social media, the role of spokesperson to Dana White, a close ally and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, the leading mixed martial arts promoter. White’s qualities: ‘He’s a fierce fighter and a warrior’.

Furthermore, Trump extended an invitation to UFC staff and fighters – including foreign nationals – to work for him: ‘We need them to defend ourselves against the erratic Left.’ Over the summer, the President had hosted meetings at the White House organised by White to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Whilst the UFC’s mobilisation of its ‘army’ against critics and the media made for a spectacle – White is reported to have refused, according to leaks – it was, however, Miller’s promotion to a role effectively as the administration’s plenipotentiary (he has already been dubbed ‘prime minister’) that sparked fears and controversy. Negative reactions have spread even within Republican ranks, shocked by an electoral defeat seen as a rejection of the most radical MAGA tendencies. Meanwhile, the Democrats, victorious at the polls, have taken to the barricades, denouncing Miller as an unacceptable public menace.

“Miller is the architect of this administration’s most barbaric and inhumane policies,” burst out the usually composed Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer. “We will fight him at every turn.” The incoming Speaker of the House, Hakeem Jefferies, pressed home the point: “He is a dangerous xenophobe, an irresponsible extremist who has shed American blood.” Among dissenting conservatives, outgoing Senator Thom Tillis described him as “incompetent” and the author of the administration’s worst proposals; Indiana MP Marlin Stutzman spoke of a ‘terrible decision’, whilst his Nebraska colleague Don Beacon denounced the fact that he has neither broad support nor credibility on Capitol Hill. They regard him as the mastermind behind the party’s purges against any dissenting Republicans. Not even big business, which had good relations with the ousted Susie Wiles, trusts him, accusing him of a lack of pragmatism.

Miller, who has been with Trump since the very beginning in 2016, was quick to assert his loyalty to the president. “Without Trump, there would be no America; he saved the country,” he said from Mar-a-Lago, promising “absolute devotion”. He has amply demonstrated this: he is the leading proponent of the theory of a unitary executive, of the White House’s effectively unlimited power. He has personally drafted almost all the executive orders signed by Trump, bypassing Congress and accusing judges who dared to rule them unlawful of staging a coup. For months he has been working on further orders that Trump could impose even in the face of a hostile parliamentary majority. So much so that he has already received the blessing of the guru of the radical populist right, Steve Bannon, who has described him as an ‘uncompromising MAGA supporter’.