Donald Trump May Shift Presidential Power to 'Shadow POTUS' Stephen Miller If His Health Declines, Claims Political Analyst

Political analyst David Rothkopf believes that if President Donald Trump's health continues to decline, power will quietly shift to his widely reviled Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Adviser, Stephen Miller.

During an appearance on "The Daily Beast Podcast" with host Joanna Coles, Rothkopf argued that, rather than constitutional successors like Vice President J.D. Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the reins of the White House could be taken by Miller.

Rothkopf identifies the 40-year-old Miller as the ultimate "shadow POTUS" due to his strict control over the president's inner circle, schedule and official statements.

The analyst pointed out that Trump's public schedule has become heavily micromanaged, featuring fewer unscripted, open-press appearances and limited television interviews.

Rothkopf compared the current situation to the end of Joe Biden's administration, claiming aides are deliberately keeping the 80-year-old president away from the spotlight.

“This is an 80-year-old guy who is obviously not physically or mentally healthy or up to the job he’s got,” he said. “Trump’s schedule is so micromanaged these days, and he does a couple of hours a day, he doesn’t appear on TV, he does fewer of these open press things than he used to do, and it’s because people are sort of easing him away.”

“This happened with Biden, by the way, where they just sort of don’t put you center stage. And it does raise a question, which is: If he declines further, if he is less capable of handling the job, who’s going to handle it for him?” he added.

He noted that behind-the-scenes unelected authority has historical parallels.

“We have had multiple times in our history — after [Dwight] Eisenhower’s heart attacks, when FDR was in his declining health at the end of his term, when Woodrow Wilson was bedridden after a stroke — where other people did the job of president,” Rothkopf explained.

“And I’ve got to tell you, you look at Donald Trump, you look at the bruises, you look at his behavior, you look at his age, you look at his family history, and we could be heading for one of these periods where somebody other than Trump is actually, behind the scenes, the acting president,” he noted.

While the White House firmly dismisses these theories, the commentary has sparked renewed public debate regarding transparency, the 25th Amendment and who holds functional authority in the West Wing.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded by telling Daily Beast: “David Rothkopf is a far-left loser who clearly suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain. President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people. President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises.”