During his tenure as spokesperson for the State Department,he addressed issues including the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present),2023 Chinese military exercises around Taiwan,and the Gaza war following the October 7 attacks in Israel. Some of Miller's statements on the Gaza conflict,U.S. policy toward Hamas,and responses to international criticism of the war and allegations of Gaza genocide drew criticism. After leaving office,Miller stated that European recognition of Palestine and pro-Palestinian protests were appropriate,criticized the Biden administration for insufficient pressure on Israel,accused Israeli soldiers of war crimes while rejecting claims of genocide,and condemned Israel for sabotaging ceasefire efforts.
Miller (center) fields questions from reporters including (visible,from left) Michael Birnbaum,Tom Bateman,and Michael Crowley on a military aircraft on December 13,2024.
He has been critical of Russia,including for escalation of its invasion of Ukraine,detention of Evan Gershkovich and suppression of information from Russian citizens in relation to slowing connections to YouTube in the country.[7][8][9] A deepfake created using spliced footage from multiple press briefings of Miller saying Belgorod was an appropriate target for Ukrainian strikes and that the city had been evacuated circulated in May 2024;he denounced the deepfake as "disinformation".[10]Voice of America described the deepfake as having hallmarks of the Russian information war against Ukraine.[11] Miller was banned from Russia in retaliation for American sanctions on Russians and his role in outlining American foreign policy.[12]
He expressed concerns about Chinese support for the war and condemned Chinese military drills near Taiwan following a speech by Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te and Chinese withdrawal from arms control talks following American arms sales to Taiwan.[13][14][15]
Miller served as the spokesperson during and after the October 7 attacks and the subsequent Gaza war. Miller said "too many innocent Palestinians" had been killed following injuries and deaths at an aid site in February 2024 and called for Israel to increase the flow of aid to Gaza.[16] He called for a full investigation into August 2024 allegations of sexual assault of Palestinian prisoners by Israel Defense Force (IDF) members and condemned a strike by the IDF on a building in the Gaza Strip that killed at least 55 people in October 2024,calling it "a horrifying incident with a horrifying result".[17][18] The same month,Miller said Israel's efforts to resolve humanitarian issues in Gaza had been insufficient.[19]
Miller speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on October 22,2024
Miller was accused of inappropriate levity when discussing the Gaza war by Sam Husseini and Matt Lee,with the former accusing Miller of smirking when talking about the war's death toll. Miller denied the accusation.[20] In response to a question about aid failing to reach Gaza citizens,Miller said that Israel had failed to properly facilitate its transfer,but that the evaluation period was 30 days and it "wasn't the end of the semester",drawing a rebuke from Lee.[21][22]Mark O'Connell criticized Biden administration spokespeople generally and Miller specifically in The Irish Times,writing that Miller's "apparent disregard" for the people in Gaza led to his levity.[21] In defining American opposition to United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territoriesFrancesca Albanese and her report finding that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza,Miller alleged Albanese had a history of antisemitic comments,drawing condemnation and calls for his resignation by Trita Parsi and others.[23] Miller later said he was referring to specific remarks made by Albanese in 2022 regarding a "Jewish lobby controlling America",reported by The Times of Israel.[24][25] In September 2024,he said that the United States has always been "committed to the destruction of Hamas" while also seeking a "diplomatic resolution to conflict in the Middle East". Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson called the position self-contradictory,as Hamas is a party in the conflict.[26] In discussing the death of Kamel Jawad,an American killed in the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon,Miller said it was the State Department's understanding that Jawad was a legal permanent resident rather than a citizen.[27] This was criticized by the Council on American–Islamic Relations.[28] Miller subsequently said the Department was examining its records to confirm his citizenship,and it later confirmed he was a citizen.[29][28]
↑ "Department Press Briefing – March 28, 2024". United States Department of State. March 28, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2025. She made a remark at one point referring to the Jewish lobby controlling America, and in fact expressed regret for that remark afterwards. So that's what I was referring to.
↑ "Department Press Briefing – October 2, 2024". United States Department of State. October 2, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2025. It's our understanding that it was a legal permanent resident, not an American citizen.
↑ "Department Press Briefing – October 3, 2024". United States Department of State. October 3, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2025. So we continue to look into it. I can tell you that the information that we had yesterday – we could not verify that he was a U.S. citizen, and we believed he was a legal permanent resident – I see now that the family has described him as a U.S. citizen. That may very well be true. We are looking through our records now to verify whether he was an American citizen, or whether a legal – whether he's a legal permanent resident.
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