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Tim Miller (political strategist)

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Tim Miller
Image
June 2022
Born (1981-12-25) December 25, 1981 (age 44)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
OccupationsPolitical consultant, writer
Known forJeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign communications director
Republican National Committee spokesman
Never Trump movement
Political party
Republican (before 2020)
Independent (2020 – present)
SpouseTyler Jameson[1]
Children1

Tim Miller (born December 25, 1981) is an American political commentator and former political consultant. He was communications director for the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign, but that year became an early and prominent Republican critic of Donald Trump.

Miller is a writer-at-large for the Never Trump opinion website The Bulwark and has hosted for The Bulwark's daily podcast since 2023.[2] He contributes as an MS NOW analyst.

Early life and education

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A native of Littleton, Colorado, Miller graduated from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado in 2000, and in 2004 he graduated from George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.[3][4]

Early career

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Miller's earliest involvement in politics began when he was still in high school, when he worked weekends as an intern for Republican Bill Owens's successful 1998 Colorado gubernatorial campaign.[5][6]

In 2004, after graduating from University, he worked as a travel aide on Bill Lee's campaign for Governor of Delaware, a position he held for less than a year before moving on to become a field director for Jerry Kilgore's 2005 Virginia gubernatorial campaign. In 2006, Miller was the political director on Republican Bill Dix's congressional campaign, and briefly served as communications director for Jeff Lamberti's congressional campaign, both of Iowa.[7]

Miller stayed in Iowa to take a job as the state communications director for John McCain in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, but was one of a number of staffers who left in 2007 during a period of financial difficulty for the campaign.[8][7]

Private sector

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From 2007 to 2009 Miller worked he as a communications strategist at the lobbying firm Berman and Company, during which time he was the spokesman for the Employment Policies Institute, a think tank run by Berman.[7][9]

From 2009 to 2011, Miller was director and lead digital communications strategist for the lobbying and PR firm Glover Park Group.[10][11][7]

Huntsman and Bush campaigns

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Miller served as the national press secretary for the Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential campaign.[3] Miller was credited by Esquire for writing the Huntsman campaign's daily email to reporters, known as The Morning Hunt, which Esquire called "surprisingly hip".[12] After the primary, Miller joined the Republican National Committee as its liaison to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.[13]

He was hired in 2015 by former Florida governor Jeb Bush as a senior adviser to Bush's presidential exploratory committee, his political action committee (PAC) Right to Rise, and went on to act as the communications director for Bush's presidential campaign.[3][14][15] During the campaign, Miller drew notice as a "vocal critic" of Donald Trump.[16] Following a 2016 South Carolina Republican primary debate, Miller followed Trump around the spin room heckling him until Miller was "hip-checked" by Trump campaign strategist Corey Lewandowski.[17]

Opposition research

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In 2013, Miller co-founded America Rising, a Republican opposition research organization, along with Matt Rhoades, the former manager of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and Joe Pounder, a former RNC media strategiest.[18][19] In 2015 the Wall Street Journal called America Rising "one of the most prominent Republican attack machines in national politics", and said that Miller had "helped build America Rising into an $8 million, brand-name outfit that worked closely with Republican Party committees and other conservative groups."[10][20]

In 2016, Miller joined Definers Public Affairs, a political-style opposition research and consulting firm affiliated with America Rising, as head of their Silicon Valley division. The group was hired by Facebook to help manage the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2017.[21] In 2018 Definers, at the direction of Facebook, spread information to the reporters and the media which linked anti-Facebook activists with financier George Soros— himself a vocal critic of the platform as well as a frequent subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories – in an attempt to undermine the company's opponents.[22][23] As a result of the controversy, Facebook ended its relationship with Definers.[24]

Anti-Trump advocacy

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Miller joined the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC (political action committee) following Bush's exit from the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, following which he drew notice for lambasting Trump supporters with whom he appeared on-air on CNN.[25]

Following Trump's election, Miller announced that he had donated to Doug Jones, the Democratic opponent of Republican nominee and accused sex offender Roy Moore in the 2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama to fill Jeff Sessions's seat.[26][27]

In 2020, he co-founded the advocacy organization Republican Voters Against Trump, which sponsored television and internet advertisements featuring lifelong Republicans explaining their rationale for voting for Joe Biden instead of Trump, and served as its political director.[13][28] He was included in The Washington Post 2016 list of Republicans "who hate Donald Trump the most".[29] In November 2020, he announced he had left the Republican Party.[30][31]

Media career

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In February 2024, Miller replaced Charlie Sykes as host of The Bulwark Podcast.[32] Miller is also an MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) contributor,[33] a frequent guest on progressive outlet Crooked Media's Pod Save America podcast,[26][13][24] and co-hosts a regular series on Brian Tyler Cohen's YouTube channel called Inside the Right.[34]

He is a writer for The Bulwark and Rolling Stone.[13][35] He has written in support of Omar Ameen, an Iraqi refugee accused by Trump of being a member of ISIS.[36] A Rolling Stone column by Miller in which he asked several Republican consultants he knew why Trump's 2020 campaign had not caused their candidates to abandon the President elicited a widely shared quote, "There are two options, you can be on this hell ship, or you can be in the water drowning".[35][37]

His memoir of working in pre-Trump era Republican politics, Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell, was published by Harper in June 2022.[38] The book details Miller's political career, analysing the rise of Trump and the motivations of Republican politicians who remained firmly loyal to the MAGA movement,[39][40] and reached #2 on The New York Times' non fiction list in July 2022.[41]

The book was positively received for its writing style and analysis of political changes within the post-Trump GOP during the late 2010s and early 2020s.[42][43] In a review for The New York Times, Jennifer Szalai called the book "darkly funny" and praised Miller's insights into the inner workings of the Republican Party and the Washington, D.C., political scene.[44] New York Times columnist David French wrote that it offered "painful" insights into the impact of partisanship and Trumpism on the American conservative Right.[41]

Views

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Prior to the 2016 election, Miller described himself as a conservative and labeled himself a "Conservative activist".[45] Since working with The Bulwark and Trump's first election win, Miller has self-identified as both a libertarian[46] and a "liberal millennial."[47] Miller has compared his journey to liberalism as similar to his experience as coming out as gay.[48]

Miller has also referred to himself as "capitalist moderate neolib" in a June 2025 interview with then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, where Miller admitted that if he lived in New York City he would not rank Mamdani or then-candidate Andrew Cuomo in the first four slots of the ranked-choice ballot for the 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.[49]

Miller has stated that "conservatism is pretty much MAGA. I mean, some people are objecting to that, but in colloquial usage, conservatism is MAGA" and that "leftism, the stuff that I don't like about the left, is mostly defined now as progressivism or leftist or you know something to that effect or socialism. And so I think I am a liberal."[50] Describing the Trump presidencies as fascist, Miller has called Trump a "bigoted, barmy, bargain-basement Berlusconi"[51] and wrote in Why We Did It that "As much as you think you loathe [Trump], I loathe him infinity-to-the-nth-degree more."[52]

Personal life

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Miller is gay.[13] In May 2018 he married Tyler Jameson, with whom he has an adopted daughter.[1][53] He attributes his decision to take the risk of coming out in 2007 while still working on Republican campaigns, in part, to the Larry Craig scandal.[13]

In 2023, Miller relocated from Oakland, California, to New Orleans, Louisiana, with his husband and child.[23][36]

Miller is a fan of the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Phish, Oasis, Goose, Geese.[54] He is also a fan of the Denver Nuggets.[55]

Books

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  • Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell, Harper (June 28, 2022). ISBN 0063161478

References

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  1. 1 2 Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna; Lippman, Daniel (May 13, 2018). "Playbook: Happy Mother's Day!". Politico.
  2. ↑ Tani, Max. "How Tim Miller and The Bulwark became 2024’s unlikely YouTube stars". Semafor, September 23, 2024. Retrieved 26 September, 2024
  3. 1 2 3 Allen, Mike (February 20, 2015). "Big hire for Jeb: Tim Miller as comms director". Politico. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Regis Jesuit High alumni page". Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ Bleiker, Carla (July 14, 2020). "Republican Anti-Trump campaigner: Trump presidency 'an utter disaster'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Bohlen, Teague. "Why He Did It: Tim Miller on Trump and the Republican Road to Hell". Westword. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Tim Miller (Washington, D.C.)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ "McCain Exodus Continues". CBS News. July 16, 2007.
  9. ↑ ""Rotten" ACORN Ad Funded by Anti-Minimum Wage Group". ProPublica. October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Nichols, Laura (February 20, 2015). "Bush campaign-in-waiting sets communications director". www.prweek.com. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ Smith, Ben (February 11, 2011). "Huntsman staffs up". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ Jones, Chris (October 11, 2011). "Huntsman Never Stood a Chance. Now Maybe He Still Does". Esquire. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Daniel, Walters (October 30, 2020). "One of the country's biggest Never Trumpers owes part of his journey to Larry Craig's 'wide stance'". Inlander. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ Sarlin, Benjy (February 20, 2015). "Jeb Bush snags opposition research star Tim Miller for 2016". MSNBC.com. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  15. ↑ Garcia, Michelle (February 22, 2015). "Jeb Bush Picks Opposition Researcher, Gay Republican Tim Miller For Campaign Team". The Advocate. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  16. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (March 1, 2016). "Anti-Trump super PAC adds top Bush adviser". Politico. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  17. ↑ Coppins, McKay; Gray, Rosie (March 21, 2016). "Trump Campaign Manager Faces New Allegations Of Pushing, Sexually Suggestive Comments". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  18. ↑ Weigel, David (January 14, 2014). "Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ Reporter, Paul BlumenthalSenior; HuffPost (March 21, 2013). "Romney Campaign Manager To Lead New GOP Effort". HuffPost. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
  20. ↑ Reinhard, Beth (February 20, 2015). "GOP Opposition Research Hand Tim Miller Joins Jeb Bush Team". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ Reilly, Claire (November 21, 2018). "Facebook's outgoing VP of comms defends using PR firm to dig up info on critics". CBS News.
  22. ↑ Wong, Julia Carrie (November 22, 2018). "Facebook policy chief admits hiring PR firm to attack George Soros". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  23. 1 2 Nicas, Jack (November 21, 2018). "How Facebook's P.R. Firm Brought Political Trickery to Tech". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  24. 1 2 Isaac, Mike; Nicas, Jack (November 15, 2020). "Facebook Cuts Ties With Washington Firm That Sought to Discredit Social Network's Critics". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  25. ↑ Moore, Jack (March 11, 2016). "Shrimpy Trump Supporter Burned by Jeb's Former Spokesperson on Live TV! Sad!". GQ. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  26. 1 2 Broverman, Neal (November 17, 2017). "Gay Former Spokesman for Jeb Bush Endorses Roy Moore Opponent". The Advocate. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  27. ↑ Greenwood, Max (November 21, 2017). "GOP operative: 'I just donated to a Democrat for the first time' in Alabama Senate race". The Hill. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  28. ↑ Karni, Annie (May 28, 2020). "Get Republicans to Vote Against Trump? This Group Will Spend $10 Million to Try". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  29. ↑ Cillizza, Chris; Blake, Aaron (May 7, 2016). "The 10 Republicans who hate Donald Trump the most". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  30. ↑ Hall, Colby (November 23, 2020). "Joe Scarborough: How Can I Return to a Republican Party That Stayed Silent While Trump 'Shredded Constitutional Norms?'". Mediaite. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  31. ↑ Miller, Tim (November 22, 2020). "Goodbye To All That". The Bulwark. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  32. ↑ Sarah Longwell, Jonathan V. Last (February 5, 2024). "Some news from us: The Bulwark is growing". The Bulwark. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Tim Miller: Republicans 'were saying the right things' after Jan 6, but now defense is 'even worse'". MSNBC.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  34. ↑ Inside the Right with Tim Miller
  35. 1 2 Glasser, Susan B. (July 16, 2020). "Trump's Losing, So When Are Republican Candidates Going to Abandon Him?". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  36. 1 2 Riotta, Chris (February 14, 2020). "Meet the California Republican who helped create the Never Trump movement – and is willing to vote for Bernie Sanders". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  37. ↑ Miller, Tim (July 7, 2020). "What 9 GOP Campaign Consultants Really Think About Republicans' Chances in November". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  38. ↑ Szalai, Jennifer (June 29, 2022). "'Why We Did It' Is a Dark Ride on the 'Republican Road to Hell'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  39. ↑ Chait, Jonathan (July 7, 2022). "Scenes From the Republican Surrender to Trump". Intelligencer. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell by Tim Miller". www.publishersweekly.com. June 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  41. 1 2 "Tim Miller Asks the Question Every Conservative Must Answer". The Third Rail. July 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  42. ↑ Elliott, Phillip (July 20, 2022). "Welcome to the new era of political memoir". Time. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  43. ↑ WHY WE DID IT | Kirkus Reviews.
  44. ↑ Szalai, Jennifer (June 29, 2022). "'Why We Did It' Is a Dark Ride on the 'Republican Road to Hell'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  45. ↑ Thrush, Glenn (April 11, 2016). "Full Transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Tim Miller". Politico. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  46. ↑ Lovett, Jon (December 21, 2024). Lovett and Tim Miller Debate Trump's Draft of Vile Rookies Like Elon Musk, RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. Crooked Media - Pod Save America. Event occurs at 13:28. Okay, libertarian Tim is here: I'm with Tulsi on that. I want to get to the draft pick--bad draft pick--bad draft pick made a good point, though. We shouldn't be putting random people on clear skies based on their travel throughout the world. I'm sorry, libertarian Tim is here. And it's ridiculous, and the TSA is mostly a sham, and we should probably be dismantling most of it.
  47. ↑ Miller, Tim (November 26, 2025). 1 Liberal Millennial vs 20 Gen Z Conservatives (ft. Tim Miller). Jubilee Media - The Bulwark. Event occurs at 00:23. Hey everyody, I'm Tim Miller. You may have seen me on The Bulwark Podcast or on MSNBC. I'm a liberal millennial...
  48. ↑ V. Last, Jonathan (November 26, 2025). Tim Wants to Talk About Trump's Walk - The Next Level. The Bulwark - The Next Level Podcast. Event occurs at 1:05:37. I feel like it's kind of like when I started kissing boys. I wasn't ready to say the 'gay' word out loud yet. And then eventually I was just like, you know what? Fuck it. I'm liberal. I would blanch at progressive. I'm not progressive.
  49. ↑ Miller, Tim; Kasky, Cameron (June 17, 2025). "Zohran Mamdani: FYPod Crossover". The Bulwark. Event occurs at 22:20. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  50. ↑ V. Last, Jonathan (November 26, 2025). Tim Wants to Talk About Trump's Walk - The Next Level. The Bulwark - The Next Level Podcast. Event occurs at 1:01:47.
  51. ↑ Miller, Tim (2022). Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. New York: HarperCollins. p. 89. ISBN 9780063161474.
  52. ↑ Miller, Tim (2022). Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. New York: HarperCollins. p. 100. ISBN 9780063161474.
  53. ↑ Hounshell, Blake (June 29, 2022). "A Republican Insider Studies His Burned Bridges and a Combustible G.O.P." The New York Times.
  54. ↑ Miller, Tim. "Tim's 2024 Music Year in Review". www.thebulwark.com. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  55. ↑ Miller, Tim. "The Realistic Nightmare Scenario". www.thebulwark.com. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
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