Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
In public, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is putting his heart into his work promoting President Trump’s budget. He’s doing TV and radio hits for the Big Beautiful Bill, posting nonstop on X about it, and sparring with Republican senators who aren’t thrilled about the bill potentially adding trillions to the deficit.
At home, though, things may be a little more complicated. His wife of five years, Katie Miller, is now working closely with Elon Musk, who has emerged this week as the No. 1 enemy of the Big Beautiful Bill amid a fast-escalating feud with Trump.
Katie had been working for Musk as an advisory member in the Department of Government Efficiency from the beginning of Musk’s brief stint in government. (Having served as a spokesperson for Mike Pence during the first Trump administration, she also did press for DOGE.) But as Musk’s time in government came to an end last week, CNN reported that Katie would be leaving the Trump White House to work for the Tesla founder full time on nongovernmental communications.
Trump has been roasting Musk for his criticisms of his budget bill, claiming — with some apparent evidence — that the richest man in the world has “lost his mind.” But Stephen, who usually salivates at the opportunity to defend Trump against detractors, has remained pretty tame as Musk insults Trump. (He’s also been pretty tame as the Democratic Party X account jokes indirectly that he is a cuckold.) Musk hasn’t him out yet, though he has unfollowed him on X.
Politico reports that White House staffers are pretty annoyed by their recently departed colleague. “What drove people here crazy was Katie Miller, and the fact that she was on Elon’s payroll the whole time she was a [special government employee] here,” an administration official tells Playbook. Frustration was widespread, and staffers doubted her loyalty for months. “Who was she looking out for?” the official asked.
Related
Who Is Katie Miller?This Clash With Trump Is Going to End Poorly for Elon Musk
