Donald Trump is getting some national security advice from Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, a major coup for the candidate and one that could give him some needed gravitas on an issue he’s had problems with in the past.
A Trump campaign source confirmed to NBC News that Miller attended Trump’s meeting with national security advisers on Capitol Hill this Thursday. The Florida Republican, who’s retiring this year, is seen sitting at the front of a photo Trump sent out on Twitter after the meeting. It’s unclear whether Miller is officially advising Trump or only attended the one meeting.
In a series of print and television news interviews over the past few weeks, Trump has sought to lay out his foreign policy platform, cobbling together at times contradictory positions on U.S. engagement abroad, the use of ground troops, nuclear weapons and diplomacy into a “Trump Doctrine” that he’s characterized as “peace through strength.” But it’s an issue on which he’s made numerous gaffes over the course of his campaign, and many critics see Trump’s unfamiliarity with foreign affairs as one of his biggest weaknesses in the race.
Miller’s position as a committee chairman is also the latest signal Trump may be making inroads with the Republican establishment, even as many in the party’s leadership remain openly opposed to or critical of him. Despite that opposition, Trump has made overtures in recent weeks to establish a presence on Capitol Hill and smooth over a rocky relationship with the Republican National Committee. His campaign announced Thursday the launch of his House Leadership Committee, tasked with congressional outreach. That same day Trump met with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to discuss convention procedures.
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