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HAUNTED BY HIGH SCHOOL

Stephen Miller’s Pal Dishes on His ‘Monster’ Turn From Liberal Teen

Stephen Miller wasn’t always, so, er, Stephen Miller-coded.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller attends an event held by U.S. President Donald Trump to sign executive orders related to birthright citizenship and the polysilicon industry, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 6, 2026.

Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

Stephen Miller wasn’t always a fixture on the far right. In fact, he was once a self-described liberal.

That’s according to conservative commentator Larry Elder, who penned a column about the newly appointed White House chief of staff, tracing Miller’s political evolution back to when he first met him as a high school student.

In a piece for Townhall, Elder, 74, recalled meeting Miller, 41, after the latter contacted his radio show to complain that Santa Monica High School, where he was a student, did not require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks next to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Miller has, so far, survived both Trump administrations—an impressive feat.

Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

“That his school was ‘blatantly’ disregarding this ‘patriotic obligation,’ Stephen argued, does not bode well for the nation,” Elder wrote. “He created a groundswell.”

Miller later appeared on Elder’s show 69 times. “He counted,” Elder wrote.

Throughout that time, Elder said that he and Miller grew close—close enough that he met the man he credited with Miller’s total MAGA transformation.

“I met Chris, Stephen’s close friend and classmate, who convinced Stephen, then a self-described liberal—like virtually everyone in Santa Monica—to re-think his assumptions,” he wrote.

A black and white photo of three people speaking on a stage

Miller, left, ran for student body president at Santa Monica High School. He lost—but not before he was booed offstage during his campaign speech.

Courtesy of Cynthia Santiago

“Chris, now a lawyer, laughingly told me, ‘I created a monster.’”

The White House and Elder did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Elder said he brushed off praise from Miller’s parents, who hailed him as their son’s mentor.

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“Stephen’s parents told me they, too, were once liberals before Stephen convinced them they were not,” he wrote.

But when Miller’s father called him his “mentor,” Elder replied: “If you mean politics, that title goes to Chris. But thank you.”

The Millers have a warmer outlook on his MAGA makeover than some of his other relatives.

Alisa Kasmer, Miller’s first cousin who has publicly disavowed him and his hardline immigration policies, opened up about Miller’s estrangement from his extended family in a Threads post late Sunday.

“While my family cut ties with his parents and siblings some years ago now, the last we knew, and still believe to be true, they are incredibly proud and supportive of him,” she wrote. “His extended family on both sides are definitely not!”

Alisa Kasmer posted these family photos of her and her cousin, Stephen Miller, on Facebook when she first spoke about him in July 2025.

Alisa Kasmer posted these family photos of her and her cousin, Stephen Miller, on Facebook when she first spoke about him in July 2025.

Alisa Kasmer / Facebook

Before that, Kasmer has some choice words for Miller. “At this point I’m just hoping I get VIP family seating at the new Nuremberg trials,” she wrote, referring to the international criminal trials held against Nazi Germany by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

Additionally, other ghosts of Miller’s past have spoken following his promotion to chief of staff last week, replacing Susie Wiles.

Jason Islas, who came forward in 2017 with his account of how Miller ended their childhood friendship because of his Hispanic heritage, told the Daily Beast that he sees Miller as simply a caretaker to see a dying administration through its final days.

Jason Islas has spoken out publicly against Miller, his childhood best friend.

Jason Islas has spoken out publicly against Miller, his childhood best friend.

Screenshot/Instagram/Screenshot/Instagram

“I think the administration’s in hospice, and Miller’s been appointed the nurse,” Islas said. Once the administration is over, Islas predicts, Miller’s career will die with it.

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