White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has been called a lot of things since he burst onto the political scene during Donald Trump’s first unfortunate presidency.

Miller’s radical far-right ideology earned the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy more than a few unforgiving nicknames dating all the way back to his college years. He began as a speech writer under President Donald Trump in 2017.

Trump Administration official Stephen Miller’s college nickname is revealed. (Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

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Stephen Miller joined Donald Trump’s campaign as a senior policy advisor and speechwriter, later serving as Senior Advisor for Policy from 2017 to 2021 before returning in 2024 as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor. The Santa Monica, California, native and his ultra-conservative views are not in sync with the liberal state.

But it’s his behavior at Duke University, where he studied political science, that has many online shocked thanks to a new article that exposed his less-than-humorous nicknames in college.

One definitely goes with his right-wing views. According to The Duke Chronicle, the newspaper from Miller’s alma mater, his college nickname was “guns” because of a statement he made during freshman orientation at the university.

“Hi, I’m Stephen Miller,” he said. “I’m from Santa Monica, California, and I like guns.”

The 2007 graduate was described as an “eccentric and provocative character” in school. The Trump administration official reportedly used the school, where he wrote columns about “The Nancy Grace Show” and others, and led conservative activism, to launch his political ambition. In addition to liking ammunition, Miller reportedly had a liking for swords and carried one around campus.

A woman who lived in the same dorm as Miller said he also wore a “weird, brown bathrobe” and walked around drinking scotch, looking and acting like an old man.”

“In some ways, he was just a normal 18-year-old kid,” she recalled. “He just did these things and said these things that were just so odd, so off the wall, that you didn’t take it seriously, like typical kids trying to get attention. They say kind of outrageous things.”

According to an old editor, Miller barely even had friends in college. “He cultivated this personality where he didn’t want to be close with anybody,” Seyward Darby said. “… He wanted to have really extreme positions and upset people, provoke people and just really set himself apart.”

“He never became a hero. He was not popular,” said conservative Oliver Sherouse. “… But there was a sense of kind of grudging respect among people who didn’t agree with him … at a certain point you had to answer to the guy.”

Reactions on social media to the 40-year-old’s nickname were mixed as one Daily Beast reader said, “I think he is and has always been very disturbed.” Another claimed, “This MAGAot was evil from the start it seems.”

Miller’s roots struck a nerve with folks online who blame him for part of Trump’s wild actions around the Iran war and the rising cost of living. “Miller is the reason we are in the middle of a disaster. He is the architect of Trump’s insane policies. I have no doubt that was seen a loser. That did not end with college,” noted a third person.

A fourth person wondered, “I’m curious what trauma led to this man’s twisted personality. He’s obviously been deeply wounded! I would feel sorry for him if he wasn’t so hateful and destructive!”

Many pointed to his resemblance to Pee-wee Herman, a comparison that stuck as the nickname “PeeWee Miller” began circulating — a jab tied not just to his look, but to the views classmates say defined him at the time. The reference traces back to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and in recent years, variations like “PeeWeeGerman” have also gained traction online.

Miller is a strong supporter of the NRA, and during a speech in Memphis last October after the president sent the National Guard to the city to form the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” Miller told the MPD they were “unleashed.”

“To the guns and bats in this room, you are unleashed,” he said. “The handcuffs you’re carrying? They’re not on you anymore, they’re on the criminals.”

Miller is also responsible for some of the president’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, which includes separating children from their parents.

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