How Stephen Miller is running Trump’s effort to take over D.C.

The deputy White House chief of staff has emerged as a key enforcer of the D.C. operation in the month since Trump federalized the local police department.

September 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT
8 min


White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks to reporters outside the West Wing on Aug. 29. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )

By Emily Davies and Natalie Allison

From the head of the conference table in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, Stephen Miller was in the weeds of President Donald Trump’s takeover of policing in the nation’s capital.

The White House deputy chief of staff wanted to know where exactly groups of law enforcement officers would be deployed. He declared that cleaning up D.C. was one of Trump’s most important domestic policy issues and that Miller himself planned to be involved for a long time.

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By Emily Davies
Emily Davies is a reporter covering the White House. Send her secure tips on Signal at 202-412-9091.follow on X@ELaserDavies

By Natalie Allison
Natalie Allison is a White House reporter for the Washington Post. She previously covered Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the MAGA movement and the Republican Party more broadly.follow on X@natalie_allison