(The Lion) –The White House press corps was on the receiving end of an impassioned lecture about civics and the realities of presidential power on Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gave his remarks in response to a question about the legacy media narrative that Elon Musk is “an unelected bureaucrat…doing terrible stuff” to unelected bureaucrats in the federal government.

A number of outlets, including the New Republic, MSNBC and the Atlantic, have tried to tag Musk as just another “unelected bureaucrat” who is subverting democracy as Musk and his DOGE advisors combat waste, fraud and abuse in government at the direction of Trump.

Miller began by chastising the legacy media for not adequately reporting on the Biden administration, including the fact that then-President Biden “was mentally incompetent and was not running the country” while he was president.

He then said many in the media don’t understand how government actually works.

“So, I’m glad for the opportunity for a brief civics lesson,” Miller continued.

“A president is elected by the whole American people,” said Miller. “He’s the only official in the entire government that is elected by the entire nation. Right? Judges are appointed. Members of Congress are elected at the district or state level.”

Miller then explained that the Vesting Clause in Article II of the U.S. Constitution gives the executive power to the president.

“The whole will of democracy is imbued into the elected president. That president then appoints staff to then impose that democratic will onto the government,” he said.

Musk is one of the people appointed by Trump to carry out his promise to make government more efficient.

Miller said that the “existential threat to democracy” today is from unelected bureaucrats who are trying to ignore the authority of Trump as president and do whatever they want.

“So, Americans vote for radical FBI reform, and FBI agents say they don’t want to change,” Miller continued. “Or Americans vote for radical reform in our energy policies, but EPA bureaucrats say they don’t want to change. Or Americans vote to end DEI – racist DEI policies, and lawyers in the Department of Justice say they don’t want to change.”

As a result, Trump is eliminating bureaucrats who are stonewalling actions of the administration because the executive authority to set policy resides in the president, not in bureaucrats.

“What President Trump is doing is he is removing federal bureaucrats who are defying democracy by failing to implement his lawful orders, which are the will of the whole American people,” Miller concluded, before adding, “Thank you,” for emphasis.

Prior to Miller’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced the press briefing by noting that “I brought some heavy hitters in here with me today,” referring to Miller and two other senior White House officials, Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

She then said that President Trump has signed 73 executive orders since his inauguration one month ago.

“That is more than double the number signed by Joe Biden and more than quadruple the number signed by Barack Obama over the same period,” she added.