After White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller froze on camera while discussing Donald Trump’s powers, netizens sparked a controversy over his remarks.
Speaking to CNN about sending National Guards to Oregon, the top Trump aide appeared to suggest that Trump holds plenary authority, the absolute power to make such decisions.
The controversial claim turned awkward when Stephen Miller froze before the camera after speaking about plenary authority, possibly after being reminded by an aide about the issue with his statement. Some said it was a technical glitch, as Miller was seen suddenly freezing in front of the camera. Others noted that Miller was blinking, suggesting he deliberately stopped.
“Well, the administration filed an appeal this morning with the Ninth Circuit,” Miller says. “I would note the administration won an identical case in the Ninth Circuit just a few months ago with respect to the federalizing of the California National Guard under Title 10 of the US Code.” he then says, “the president has plenary authority…” before suddenly stopping.
What is plenary authority? Does Trump have it?
Plenary authority means complete, absolute, or full power to act on a particular matter, without needing approval or limitation from another body. In this case, it refers to when a president or governor claims full decision-making power within their constitutional limits.
However, contrary to Miller’s claim, the President of the United States does not have plenary authority. The power of the President comes with a lot of checks and balances, sometimes in the form of Congress, sometimes in the form of legal and procedural requirement.
Oregon’s context
Miller’s remarks came amid Trump continues to face legal hurdles after attempting to send National Guard troops from California to Portland, Oregon.
Trump administration’s latest order was blocked by a federal judge on Monday. Judge Karin Immergut, giving the order, had claimed that the decision to deploy the National Guard without the consent of the state would violate the sovereignty of Oregon and that the deployment without Oregon’s consent would violate constitutional principles.
Responding to this judgement, Miller called it as “one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen — and yet the latest example of unceasing efforts to nullify the 2024 election by fiat.”