Max Miller Bio
Max Leonard Miller (born November 13, 1988) is an American politician and military reservist who has served as the United States representative for Ohio’s 7th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously worked as a political appointee during President Donald Trump’s first administration and later served on Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. He is also a reservist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Miller first gained national attention during the 2022 Republican primary, when he secured the endorsement of former President Trump and went on to win the seat in the general election. His career before Congress included White House and campaign roles, and his tenure in the House has focused on foreign policy, state department reform, and party organization.
Early Life and Background
Max Leonard Miller was born on November 13, 1988, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and raised in the Cleveland suburb of Northeast Ohio. He is the son of Abe Miller and Barb Miller and the grandson of Samuel H. Miller, the former co-chair emeritus of Forest City Realty Trust. His grandmother, Ruth Miller, ran as a candidate for Ohio’s 22nd congressional district in 1980, and his uncle is Aaron David Miller, a noted scholar of Middle East studies. Miller is Jewish.
Miller graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 2007. He then attended the University of Arizona before transferring to Cleveland State University, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013. Growing up in a family with ties to real estate, politics, and policy scholarship shaped his early interest in public service and national government.
Path to US Politics
Before entering politics, Miller worked at a Lululemon store in Ohio and, in 2013, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, where he served as a corporal without deployments. He was later transferred from the Selected Marine Corps Reserve to the Individual Ready Reserve in 2019. His first direct exposure to national campaigns came in 2016, when he initially volunteered for Senator Marco Rubio’s presidential bid before leaving the campaign in February 2016 to join Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as a campaign aide.
After Trump’s victory, Miller transitioned into a series of political appointee roles in Washington, beginning with a position as a confidential assistant at the United States Department of the Treasury in 2017. He later served as a lead advance representative in the White House Office and as associate director of the Presidential Personnel Office, also working as special assistant to the president. He was appointed to the Holocaust Memorial Council by President Trump in December 2020 and later named to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s board of trustees.
Max Miller Career
Early Career (2016–2020)
After joining the Trump campaign in February 2016, Miller worked his way into a trusted position within the candidate’s political operation. Following the 2016 election, he held successive roles as a Treasury Department confidential assistant, a White House lead advance representative, and an associate director in the Presidential Personnel Office. In June 2020, he accompanied President Trump on the photo opportunity at St. John’s Church and was later named deputy campaign manager for presidential operations on Trump’s reelection campaign.
During the 2020 cycle, Miller helped organize the Republican National Convention and served as a Trump negotiator for the presidential debates. He also promoted Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged and, in 2021, publicly stated that the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol was not an insurrection. In December 2021, the January 6 committee subpoenaed him to produce documents, and he was deposed in January 2022.
Congressional Campaign (2021–2022)
In February 2021, Miller launched a campaign for Congress in Ohio’s redrawn 7th congressional district, which had previously been the 16th district represented by Republican Anthony Gonzalez. He moved back to Ohio, purchasing a home in Rocky River, to challenge the seat. When Gonzalez announced in September 2021 that he would not seek reelection, Miller became the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Miller won the May 3 Republican primary with 71.8 percent of the vote, carrying endorsements from former President Trump and the Club for Growth, as well as support from Ohio Right to Life and Congressman Jim Banks. In the November 8 general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Matthew Diemer and was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
U.S. House of Representatives (2023–Present)
Since taking office in January 2023, Miller has represented Ohio’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was selected by his incoming Republican colleagues to serve on the House Republican steering committee, which determines committee assignments. In January 2023, he introduced a resolution to remove Representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the resolution passed two days later.
Throughout his tenure, Miller has focused on foreign policy and state department issues. In November 2023, he sent a letter to colleagues supporting the expulsion of Representative George Santos, citing personal financial harm. In January 2024, he was appointed to the Commission on Reform and Modernization of the Department of State. In May 2024, he co-sponsored legislation to extend United States military benefits to American citizens serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Miller’s most notable early achievements is his May 2022 primary victory, in which he won 71.8 percent of the Republican vote with the endorsement of former President Trump. As of 2024, Miller and Representative David Kustoff are the only Jewish members of the Republican Party serving in Congress. His appointment to the Department of State reform commission in January 2024 marked another milestone in his foreign policy work.
Max Miller Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Miller comes from a prominent Northeast Ohio family with deep ties to business and politics. His grandfather, Samuel H. Miller, was the former co-chair emeritus of Forest City Realty Trust, and his grandmother, Ruth Miller, ran as a congressional candidate in Ohio’s 22nd district in 1980. His uncle, Aaron David Miller, is a respected scholar of Middle Eastern studies. His parents, Abe Miller and Barb Miller, raised him in Shaker Heights.
Personal Life
Miller is Jewish and resides in Rocky River, Ohio. He previously dated Trump White House aide Stephanie Grisham from 2019 to 2020. He became engaged to Emily Moreno, daughter of United States Senator Bernie Moreno, in 2021, and the couple married in August 2022 at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. They have a daughter, born in November 2023. In August 2024, on the couple’s second wedding anniversary, Miller filed for divorce.