Donald Trump phoned embattled Rep. Max Miller amid scandal, source claims: ‘Things are not looking good’
President Donald Trump called Rep. Max Miller and warned that “things aren’t looking good” for the two-term Ohio congressman’s reelection bid, according to Axios.
The call came as Miller faces domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, a former girlfriend who served in Trump’s White House and former high school classmates.
Miller later confirmed the substance of the call to c. “He said he had a poll with no detail and I pushed back with our poll that has us winning by 9 with our message out there,” Miller said.
“He kept on reiterating it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be a really hard one for you,” Miller said, though he characterized Trump’s tone as “supportive.”
Trump struck a more sympathetic tone when asked about Miller publicly from the Oval Office.
“It’s a very sad thing. I know Max. He’s a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person, and I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said.
“It’s accusations,” he added. “And I’m going to let them figure that out.”
Trump team later told Ohio Republicans to ‘back off’
Despite warning Miller about his reelection prospects, Trump and his political operation later intervened to stop Ohio Republicans from publicly pressuring him to abandon his campaign, Politico reported, citing three sources involved in the discussions.
“They basically told us to back off,” one Ohio Republican who participated in the conversations said, “and let the voters decide.”
The intervention came as Miller faced a deadline to withdraw from the race. Under Ohio party rules, state party leaders would have had to schedule a formal meeting two days earlier to select a replacement.
Ohio Republicans had discussed scheduling that meeting to increase pressure on Miller to step aside. The effort was scrapped after White House officials warned state party figures that Miller had no intention of dropping out and Republicans would likely have to defend the seat without a substitute nominee.
A second Ohio-based Republican said that the party had little to gain from the controversy. “Nothing good comes out of this,” the Republican said. “He’s not going to gain any votes, and he’s not going to gain any fundraising, and he’s going to be completely distracted. It’s a sideshow.”
A White House official told Politico that the administration increasingly recognized Miller would not leave the race, noting that he had begun comparing his situation to past efforts to remove Trump over allegations of misconduct. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” the official said.
The allegations against Miller
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Ohio’s junior U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, alleged that Max pointed a gun at her head, threw scalding water at her and pushed her into a wall. She also alleged that Max fractured their 2-year-old daughter’s collarbone.
Many of those allegations reportedly appeared in state investigative documents connected to a child abuse probe.
Stephanie Grisham, a former White House communications director and press secretary who dated Max in 2019 and 2020, has separately accused him of physical abuse.
Stephanie alleged that Max pushed her against a wall and slapped her. Three people familiar with the relationship corroborated the claim.
Max later filed a defamation lawsuit against Grisham in Cuyahoga County court in Cleveland after she detailed the allegations in her memoir, I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House, and a Washington Post opinion piece.
A county judge later denied Max’s request for an immediate restraining order against Stephanie.
Multiple former classmates have also said that Max pushed a girl out of his room during high school, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs.
Bernie had largely avoided commenting publicly on the allegations involving his daughter and former son-in-law.
Sources close to the senator told CNN that Bernie had wanted to speak out earlier but was asked not to by his daughter.
Republican reaction and political fallout
Republican reaction has been divided. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said that if Max “thinks he ought to resign, I’m supportive of that.”
Sen. Roger Marshall has also reportedly said Max should step down. Ohio’s other Republican senator, Jon Husted, has likewise said Max should resign and not seek reelection.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has declined to take a position on Max’s candidacy, saying he intends to let the House Ethics Committee’s process play out first. The Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Max after he said he would remain in the race.
Max continues to deny the allegations and has rejected calls from within his party to abandon his reelection campaign against Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker who has focused his campaign on gas prices and the war in Iran.