The memo likely won’t shock lobbyists on K Street where Miller has few friends.
He eschews relationship-based favors. He doesn’t sway easily on issues. He’s ideologically driven and fiercely loyal to President Donald Trump. That makes his elevation to chief of staff difficult for lobbyists seeking to influence the administration in its last two years, a dozen GOP lobbyists told POLITICO.
“The thing with Stephen is, he’s not someone that a lobbyist goes in and has to crack or try to win over,” said Hunter Morgen, a lobbyist at Ballard Partners who worked with Miller at the White House during the first Trump administration. “He doesn’t operate based on relationships. He operates based on policy outcomes that will advance the president’s agenda.”
Miller’s intense ideological stances on mass deportations, anti-woke culture and the America First agenda are well-known in Washington. He started his career in 2009 on Capitol Hill working for then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and has been closely tied to Trump since 2016.
Miller’s predecessor Susie Wiles made it a point to maintain downtown relationships. How precisely Miller will manage those in his new role remains to be seen.
“Even in his deputy chief of staff role, he cared enough to be at Rose Garden dinners and Christmas parties and events that the donor community was invited to, like they do in all administrations,” said a GOP lobbyist who attends social events at White House, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive topics. “So it’s not like he’s an alien to that scene … it’s just going to be done differently.”
“President Trump’s loyalty is to the American people, not lobbyists. His team is dedicated to advancing the President’s agenda, not the agenda of D.C. lobbyists,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. “All of the White House components continue to work in lockstep to implement President Trump’s America First agenda.”
The business community enjoys direct access to Trump, who is known as a relationships-oriented person, including via corporate-sponsored events like the UFC fight and Easter Egg Roll. CEOs have for the past two years had face time with the president or been able to just pick up the phone and call him – and that’s exactly the model some lobbyists plan to follow.
One trade association CEO said Miller’s elevation means it’s more important than ever to establish a direct line to the president. The person described Miller as having a “well documented record on his positions” while Wiles had a “listen to all sides” approach.
Other lobbyists say they will continue to work with staffers on the White House’s Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council instead of going through Miller. Others say they are still figuring out how to navigate this new normal.
“He’s impossible to lobby, no one can do it, not even the people that you would think are closest,” one of those lobbyists said. “I think he’s more reasonable than he’s being portrayed, but he’s not swayed by lobbying.”
That’s a clear distinction between Miller and Wiles, who built a lobbying career at Ballard Partners and Mercury Public Affairs before going to work for Trump. Miller’s background doesn’t lend itself to a close relationship with a single lobbying shop the way Wiles’ did. Financial disclosures show Miller has only received non-governmental salaries from legal nonprofit America First Legal and his political consulting firm, both of which he created between the two Trump administrations.
“The president is a very relational person and Susie understood the importance of having strong relationships,” a spokesperson for Wiles said. “By the way, it’s not just relationships with K Street, it’s relationships with donors, members of Congress, political committees, reporters. That’s driven by the president.”
