Reactions erupted Wednesday after news dropped about Stephen Miller's bizarre "be kind" demand to a Vanity Fair photographer who captured stunning images for the outlet's bombshell story about President Donald Trump's White House.
The White House deputy chief of staff had a surprising demand for Christopher Anderson, who captured the striking, extreme close-up photos and revealed the surprising interaction he had with Miller during the photoshoot, The Washington Post reported.
"Were there moments that you missed? Anything that happened that’s on the cutting room floor?" The Post asked Anderson.
"I don’t think there’s anything I missed that I wish I’d gotten. I’ll give you a little anecdote: Stephen Miller was perhaps the most concerned about the portrait session," Anderson said. "He asked me, 'Should I smile or not smile?' and I said, 'How would you want to be portrayed?' We agreed that we would do a bit of both. And then when we were finished, he comes up to metoshakemy hand and say goodbye. And he says to me, 'You know, you have a lot of power in the discretion you use to be kind to people.' And I looked at him and I said, 'You know, you do, too.'"
Social media users responded to the fascinating interaction:
"The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story. Holy. S---," writer Craig Calcaterra wrote on Bluesky.
"A fantastic statement, that unfortunately probably went right over his head because his definition of 'people' only includes people like him," user Rae wrote on Bluesky.
"That photographer is a hero in more ways than one," user Blanche Devereaux wrote on Bluesky.
"Sadly, psychopaths can’t compute empathy," user Linda Rey wrote on Bluesky.
"BOOM," journalist Caitlin Kelly wrote on X.
"Oh my. I wish everyone were that quick on their feet," retired attorney and professor Howard Ellerman wrote on X.
"I am even more impressed now," progressive advocate Lindsey Boylan, who is also Andrew Cuomo's former aide and accused him of sexual harassment, wrote on X.