Stephen Miller Freezes After Citing Trump’s 'Plenary Authority'
Stephen Miller Faces Blacklash After Citing Trump’s ‘Plenary Authority’ On CNN Interview
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is facing backlash across social media after using the term “plenary authority” during a CNN interview with anchor Boris Sanchez on Oct. 6.
Miller appeared on CNN News Central to defend President Donald Trump’s controversial move to deploy National Guard troops to cities like Chicago and Portland. Both cities have filed lawsuits to block the administration’s efforts. So far, Oregon has been successful. A federal judge ruled on Oct. 4 to temporarily block the deployment of National Guard troops from Texas and California to the Beaver State, a decision Miller described as a “legal insurrection,” Sanchez noted.
Here’s what happened when Stephen Miller mentioned “Plenary Authority” on CNN
While defending Trump’s broader push to federalize law enforcement and whether the president would abide by the ruling in Oregon, Stephen Miller made a comment that immediately caught viewers’ attention.
“Under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the President has plenary authority,” he told Sanchez, before abruptly stopping mid-sentence. According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, plenary authority refers to “power that is wide-ranging, broadly construed, and often limitless for all practical purposes.” When used in relation to government officials, it is often called “plenary power.”
Interestingly, Miller went completely blank after making the comment, blinking several times in silence as if he had made a mistake. Sanchez called out to him, but there was no response.
“Stephen, I apologize. It seems like we’re having a technical issue,” Sanchez said, before the show cut to a commercial break. When the segment resumed, Sanchez mentioned that “some wires got crossed,” and the interview continued. However, the term “plenary authority” was never brought up again.
According to Time, a CNN spokesperson later confirmed there had been a technical issue during the broadcast, though they did not provide specifics. Notably, the moment was also edited out of the version uploaded to YouTube.
Social media reacted to the on-air blunder during Boris Sanchez’s interview
Still, the brief pause sparked a wave of online controversy over Miller’s use of the phrase “plenary authority.” Some viewers speculated that the so-called glitch was not technical at all, but rather a moment where Miller realized he had gone too far. One TikTok user commented, “Stephen Miller said the quiet part out loud accidentally and then appeared to glitch, all of a sudden, when he recognized how much of his foot he just put into his mouth. “
The TikToker added, “He just came out and said Trump is authoritarian.”
Another social media user commented, “Now did he [Miller] realize that he wasn’t supposed to say that out loud? Does he now realize that the cat is now out of the bag when it comes to Trump and his regime not listening to judges’ rulings? Perhaps… I would not be surprised if we do not see Stephen Miller on TV anymore for the rest of this year.”
Notably, later in the interview, Boris Sanchez challenged Miller on the administration’s claims that protestors — particularly in Oregon — were physically attacking ICE agents. In late September, Trump even made the bold claim that Portland was “war-ravaged,” though crime has been down in the city.
“You make the claim of terrorist assaults and violent attacks over 100 nights. And yet, the judge overseeing this case says that that’s untethered from reality,” Boris told the White House Deputy Chief. “I looked at the police data, and police have made something like 70 total arrests since June, and there are no reports of buildings being burned to the ground.”
Stephen Miller, however, doubled down on his stance, claiming ICE agents were engaged in a “street battle” against protestors daily.
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