Stephen Miller’s Promotion Throws More Gasoline on the Fire

Harvey Levin argues that politics has become inseparable from pop culture, and that TMZ’s approach is built for that world. He says he knew Trump for decades as a celebrity and saw a dramatic change when he entered politics, while TMZ’s Washington operation was designed to break from the predictable cadence of traditional political coverage by having reporters hold conversational, off-script exchanges. Levin also says the platform strategy matters more than the old broadcast model: TV and even websites are becoming legacy media, while YouTube, social, and creator-driven formats are where audiences now live.

The conversation turns to the post-election landscape, where Levin sees Stephen Miller’s promotion as a dangerous hardening of Trump’s inner circle. He says Susie Wiles was one of the few people who could manage Trump, and replacing her with Miller means more defiance, more chaos, and less restraint around power. The host presses him on whether Democrats should focus more on accountability or on governing, and the discussion lands on the need for both: subpoenas and investigations may be warranted, but the opposition also needs a concrete economic message.

They close by connecting the election to local and market reactions, especially backlash to data centers and big tech. Levin and the host argue that voters are angry about how AI infrastructure is being rolled out, and that the market is responding to that political shift. Levin also says the Cybertruck era looks finished, framing Musk’s week as another sign that tech’s political and cultural power is being challenged.