Stephen and Katie Miller’s parties have become some of the hottest invitations in Donald Trump’s Washington, but not every guest who says yes is a fan.
Vanity Fair talked to regulars at parties hosted by the MAGA power couple, who live on a heavily guarded military post near the White House, and their home has become a social hub for the administration.
In late August, they hosted a party for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s birthday that doubled as a send-off for her and a celebration of Stephen Miller’s own birthday, which falls the day before hers.
Guests watched hibachi chefs build onion volcanoes and squirt sake into people’s mouths, while children rode a mechanical bull on the lawn. Dessert included a cake shaped like the briefing room lectern and cookies iced with “No More Questions.”
“It’s almost the whole Cabinet,” a regular guest said of the nearly 100 people who showed up. “Sometimes we joke: ‘Do we need a designated survivor for this one?’”
Regulars include the Rubios, the Hegseths, the Burgums, and FBI Director Kash Patel and his fiancée, Alexis Wilkins. This summer, Katie also threw a party celebrating Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general.
Katie reportedly tries to hire caterers that follow the Make America Healthy Again movement’s rules, such as serving raw milk and avoiding seed oils, but guests say the shaved ice truck is an exception, because its syrups contain one of the food dyes Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to ban.
“She goes over the top,” Leavitt said. “It’s always a family-friendly affair, and she invites everyone.”
She also said Stephen Miller is different at home. “People wouldn’t expect this of him," Leavitt said, "but when he’s in his home or in dad mode, he is super warm and fun.”
Friends of the couple say the parties exist partly because administration officials don’t feel welcome around town.
“They need to do something to blow off steam because they’re not welcome in public,” one friend said. “They can’t go to any venue without being assaulted. They have to do this stuff in Camelot.”
“It’s hard for anyone in the Trump administration,” Leavitt agreed. “So why not just create our own parties with our own friends?”
The Millers moved to the base in late 2025 after neighbors in northern Virginia protested outside their home, but the arrangement has drawn criticism.
“They’re reserved for military who have earned those quarters from fighting in wars and defending our country,” said Washington writer Sally Quinn, whose father was an Army general. “They should not be used for people in the White House. It’s an abuse.”
Katie Miller declined Vanity Fair’s request for an interview.
However, some members of her orbit revealed an ugly truth about their relationship to the well-positioned couple.
“I’ll say I love her publicly, but the truth is I can’t f---ing stand her,” said one longtime Trump ally. “But if she asks you to go on the podcast, or come over for dinner, you say yes, because Stephen Miller is the second-most powerful person in the world.”