WASHINGTON -- President Trump told embattled Rep. Max Miller that he's facing a tough re-election campaign amid domestic abuse allegations, the Ohio congressman told The Wall Street Journal after the two spoke on Monday.

On the call, Trump told Miller, a former Trump campaign aide and White House staffer, that his prospects for winning the race weren't good, Miller said. "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 told the Journal.

"He kept on reiterating it's going to be tough, and it's going to be a really hard one for you," Miller said, referring to Trump.

Miller asked the president to make a public statement in support of his candidacy, according to people familiar with the matter. When asked if he requested help from the president, Miller said he remains in the race and that Trump "was supportive of me over the phone."

Trump hasn't offered a specific statement of support and sidestepped the issue when reporters asked about the controversy in the Oval Office on Monday: "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." The president added that the charges of abuse were "accusations."

When asked about conversations between the president and the congressman, a White House spokesperson referred The Wall Street Journal to Trump's Oval Office statements.

On Sunday, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) called for his former son-in-law to drop out of the race. The senator's daughter, Emily, and Miller divorced in 2024. They have a daughter.

Moreno, who had declined to speak about the matter for months, said that Miller didn't belong in Congress and should withdraw from the race. To be replaced on the ballot, Miller must drop out by Wednesday. The competitive House seat could determine who wins the majority in November.

On Monday, more senators backed Moreno's calls for Miller to step aside. "You shouldn't be in office, and everyone should be held accountable," Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) said when asked about the allegations levied against Miller and other lawmakers accused of misconduct.

In a roughly 20-minute livestream on X on Sunday, Miller told viewers that he plans to win his race in November and denied that he ever abused his former wife and their daughter. Speaking in detail about the couple's bitter custody battle, the congressman also said that his former wife had "significant mental-health challenges."

A spokesman for Emily Moreno, Stefan Mychajliw, dismissed the Miller video as unhinged and inaccurate before accusing the congressman of using his own daughter "as a PR pawn" to save his political career.

Some Republicans have privately expressed frustration that Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), and their assorted campaign committees didn't do more to address the controversy, given the risk that the allegations against Miller could cost the GOP a House seat and potentially depress GOP turnout in a state with competitive races for governor and the Senate.

It was Trump who helped launch Miller's political career. After leaving the White House, the president encouraged his former aide to challenge Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, after that Ohio Republican voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Gonzales didn't seek re-election.