Katie Miller: the woman stuck between Trump and Musk
Aide from Donald Trump’s first administration became Elon Musk’s ‘sherpa’... and now has to tread carefully
Rob Crilly
Chief US Correspondent
When Elon Musk arrived at the White House he came with his own personal guide to Washington.
Katie Miller had been a key figure in the first Trump White House, handling communications for Mike Pence, the vice-president, and she brought strong relationships with the loyalists in the second Trump White House – not least her husband Stephen, deputy chief of staff and a figure often thought of as the administration’s “prime minister”.
In January she was back, taking on a role with the Department of Government Efficiency that made her Mr Musk’s “sherpa”.
Now she is caught in the middle of an extraordinary political uncoupling. She left the administration with Mr Musk last week to work for him full time.
But with the world’s richest man falling out with the president she finds herself at the centre of intrigue, her personal life picked over, and with former allies wondering where her loyalties lie.
“Ultimately, Katie is super loyal,” said an official who knew her in the first Trump White House.
“It’s that loyalty that allows her to be a fierce, effective defender, whether that was Mike Pence or that’s Trump or now Elon Musk.
“But that loyalty is going to be put to the test. I think that there probably is a breaking point.”
Katie Waldman, as she was then, joined the White House in 2019 during Mr Trump’s first term, bringing a bite to a mild mannered vice-president’s operation.
She became a familiar sight, chastising reporters for unfavourable coverage or awkward questions.
She found love with Stephen Miller, who was growing in influence as a speechwriter and architect of the president’s hardline immigration stance.
Mr Trump attended the wedding at his Washington DC hotel in early 2020.
“He is the only one who could have a damn wedding in the middle of Presidents’ Day weekend,” Mr Trump reportedly said.
Mr Miller stayed with the former president through his wilderness years after defeat in that year’s election. But his wife was quietly edged out of Mr Pence’s team as he prepared for his own presidential run.
Her combative style put her at odds with Karen Pence, the former second lady.
That may only have helped her standing in Trump world, where the Pences became hate figures after the vice-president refused to declare Mr Trump the winner of the 2020 election.
She was one of the first of the president-elect’s appointments, named to the Doge advisory board. She was allowed to keep up consulting work, even as she took on the role of “special government employee”.
“People were nervous about Elon and his energy,” said one insider. “Katie’s presence went a long way to reassuring everyone.”
Some White House insiders made sure to keep out of Mr Musk’s way.
They had seen Mr Trump’s relationships blow up before, but Mrs Miller was central to the tech billionaire’s role.
“Her husband also looked out for Mr Musk. The tech billionaire reportedly spent large amounts of time with the Millers, making them a power couple at the heart of the White House.
That is until Mr Musk said he was leaving his role. With her 130 days as a “special government employee” coming to an end, she reportedly followed him to work for him full time.
But if she thought she would be the billionaire’s bridge to the White House, things became a lot more complicated.
As the row unfolded, Mr Musk apparently unfollowed Mrs Miller’s husband on X.
That said, the former official from the first Trump White House, would have left Mrs Miller in a deeply awkward position.
“I don’t think she can sit there when he’s tweeting out ‘You wouldn’t have been able to win without me’,” he said. “There is probably a limit to her ability to stand that.”