Rep. Max Miller, a Republican from Ohio and a former White House aide during Trump’s initial term, felt “uncomfortable” with his ex-boss’s campaign last year, especially when Trump made unfounded claims about Haitian immigrants supposedly consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio, as detailed in an upcoming book.
Miller has been a dedicated Trump supporter, having held numerous prominent positions within the White House. Trump encouraged him to run for Congress in 2022, initially aiming to defeat then-Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a fellow Republican who had voted for Trump’s impeachment. (Gonzalez chose not to run for re-election.)
However, Miller expressed fears that a trip to Springfield “would be a political disaster” and was “privately infuriated” by Trump’s statements, according to Isenstadt’s book, which is set to be published on March 18.
Trump ultimately did not visit Springfield. Isenstadt mentions that campaign officials opted to organize events in other cities that Trump had labeled as “war zones,” such as Aurora, Colorado.
In a recent phone interview with NBC News, Miller confirmed that he conveyed his concerns directly to Trump and co-campaign manager Susie Wiles.
“I pointed out that they were not eating cats and dogs,” Miller stated. “I suggested that we let it cool down — ‘There’s no need to go, you’re going to win Ohio by a large margin, now is not the right time.’”
Trump secured Ohio by an 11-point margin.
The Springfield narrative became pivotal in the 2024 campaign when Trump’s running mate, then-Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, amplified the unfounded claims about Haitians consuming pets — a conspiracy theory that migrated from fringe right-wing sites to mainstream social media. Trump then reiterated these stories during a debate with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Miller “was uncomfortable with the direction of the campaign, having privately advised Trump against selecting Vance for VP,” Isenstadt writes in the book. “In a private conversation with another Jewish Republican, he compared the attacks on Haitians to the ‘targeting’ of Jews.”
