Meet Stephen Miller, the former aide to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions who routinely warms up crowds with fiery speeches before Trump rallies.
His role on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is unorthodox: not only does he get the crowd going before the presumptive Republican nominee speaks, but he is also the candidate’s senior policy adviser.
“Don’t ever, ever let anybody tell you that you’re not a good person because you want to secure the border,” Miller told a Trump rally in Dallas on Thursday. “You are a patriot because you want to secure the border. You are somebody acting out of love — love for your fellow man and your country and your community when you want to secure the border.”
Miller’s speech on Thursday has been getting buzz online from Trump supporters.
Watch it here:
Read a transcript of Miller’s speech:
We are in the fight of our lives, folks. Did you ever really think, did you ever think the special interests would give up control easily? Did you ever think they wouldn’t scratch and claw and fight with their last ounce of strength to maintain their fever grip on this country? Did you ever think the politicians who betrayed you, the donors who sold you out, the special interests who didn’t care about your family, did you ever think they would just hand the keys of power over without a fight?
You knew that this moment would come where you would have to stand tall and stand strong and stand together to take back this country. And you knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and you knew you would have to dig down deep inside to find that extra measure of strength and devotion and courage so that your children can grow up in a country where they can say my needs come first in my own country, where they can say my job comes first in my own country, where they can say my security, my safety, my peace comes first to my own country. That’s not a radical idea. That’s the most mainstream common-sense idea that you could ever possibly have.
When did we forget, when did we forget that a country exists to serve its own citizens? When did we forget the reason why we have a nation is to protect each other and care for each other and watch out for each other? That’s why a country exists. That’s why America exists, so you and your friends and your neighbors can reach out for your dreams. And you can do so not having to worry about terrorism. Not having to worry about crime. Not have to worry about a budget deficit that’s gone out of control. Not having to worry about refugee programs we can’t afford and children we can’t educate and hospitals that are stretched beyond the breaking point.
We have a country so that all of us together can take care of each other and dream bigger and love our children and protect our future. That’s why we have a country. When did we forget that, folks?
That’s that’s what this campaign is all about. This campaign is all about restoring the idea that a country exists to serve its own people. It doesn’t exist to serve Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street donors. It doesn’t exist to line the pockets of Bill and Hillary Clinton. A country doesn’t exist to help Bill and Hillary offshore jobs with terrible trade deal so they can get a little bit richer. A country doesn’t exist for the personal benefit of Hillary Clinton.
A country exists for you. A country exists for the people of this country who go to work every day, who follow our rules, who fight our wars, who love their country and love each other and who make this a great nation. A country is all about its people. The people are the heart of a country. The people are the soul of a country. It’s not the donors.
The pulse, the heartbeat, the essence of a country is you. It’s all of you. And you’ve all been forgotten. And the evidence is all around us. Our hearts broke as a nation last summer when Kate Steinle was murdered in cold blood, and yet we saw the people who ran this country couldn’t be roused to action by that horrible tragedy.
The sight of Kate Steinle dead was not enough to bring our political class to action on behalf of the American people. How many children are dead because of our sanctuary cities? How many moms are grieving because of our sanctuary cities? How many American lives, how many American families, were broken apart and separated because our politicians only care about lining their own pockets?
Don’t ever, ever let anybody tell you that you’re not a good person because you want to secure the border. You are a patriot because you want to secure the border. You are somebody acting out of love — love for your fellow man and your country and your community when you want to secure the border.
The people who are heartless, the people who are shameless, the people who should be apologizing every day and asking for forgiveness are the people who left that border open, knowing the toll is put on our communities. The overdoses from the drugs, from the gangs, the cartels. They need to be apologizing to you and begging you for your forgiveness because they have betrayed your interest as American citizens.
But I have some good news for you. I have some fabulous news for you, folks. And I’m excited to get the chance to deliver it.
After years of betrayal, history has given us a chance to take back the country for the people. History has given us the chance to tell the special interests that they don’t write the rules anymore. History has given us the chance to tell the politicians who betrayed you that they’re not going to be calling the shots anymore. History has given us the chance to put a man in the White House who answers only to you and you alone.
Folks, that is a wonderful and blessed thing. That’s an opportunity many of us never thought would come.
I think a lot of us, let’s be honest, we were starting to lose hope, weren’t we? We were starting to think that day would never arrive. And then something magical happened and we saw it unfold this whole primary season beginning one year ago today. We saw a man stand up and stand tall. And when the special interests came after him, when they bullied him, when they told him to back down, when they told the change his tone, when they told him to stop fighting for you, you know what he said? “I’m never backing down. I am never stopping this fight. I am never going to stop representing the people of this country.”
Donald J. Trump, unlike Hillary Clinton, he cares about you. Donald J. Trump, unlike Hillary Clinton, is going to fight for you. Donald J. Trump, like Hillary Clinton, he can’t be bought. He can’t be purchased. He can’t be owned. His only special interest is the American people for whom he will always be loyal. He will be your fiercest champion.
And when you need help, when you need his support, he will never say, “No, a donor told me I can’t do this.” He’ll never say, “No, the media told me I can’t do this.” He’ll never say, “No, the bankers, the Wall Street financiers, the global special interests told me I can’t do this.” He’ll say, “If it’s right for America, I’m going to do it and I will never apologize.”
And folks, in a few minutes you’re going to hear from him. So I want you to shout so loud that they can hear you in Washington, D.C. I want you to shout so loud, I want to shout so loud that it shakes the boots of all the special interests. Are you ready? Are you ready to send to Washington a man who will put Americans first, last and always? Are you ready to elect Donald J. Trump and are you ready to put the American people first again?
God, bless the state of Texas. God, bless all of you. And God, bless this country. Thank you.