Trump Ditches Cory Mills After His Scandal-Plagued ‘Friend’ Lost Race: ‘He Wouldn’t Listen…’
(Photos via: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images and Mark Schiefelbein via AP Images)
President Donald Trump on Wednesday backed away from his “friend,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), after the scandal-plagued lawmaker lost his Republican primary, with the president saying Mills was too stubborn to ditch the race.
The president endorsed Mills in the primary but pivoted after the candidate’s defeat and said he’s now 100% behind the man who beat the GOP representative, former TV reporter-turned-politician Ryan Elijah (R):
I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen. He thought he could win, so who can blame him? We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place! Ryan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Mills was the most high-profile of the three Trump-boosted candidates who lost on Tuesday night.
His defeat comes as Mills has been involved in a slew of controversies, from allegations of domestic violence and harassment to claims of stolen valor from fellow veterans, while also currently facing a House Ethics Committee investigation. Mills has denied wrongdoing.
The Hill noted Mills received Trump’s support but was not included in a series of posts from the president on Truth Social before the election, where the commander in chief endorsed several other candidates.
Two Florida GOP lawmakers — Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) ditched Mills and endorsed Elijah a few weeks ago, while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said a few days before the election he was out on Mills as well.
As for Trump’s overall endorsement record, Ballotpedia shows 313 of the 330 primary candidates he has supported this year have won — 96%.
That matches his win percentage from 2024 and is up 3% from 2022, while narrowly trailing his best year of 2020, when 97% of the candidates he supported won. However, that year Trump endorsed about 140 less candidates.
Trump-endorsed candidates who won on Tuesday night included Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) in Florida’s GOP gubernatorial primary, and Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in the state’s special election to keep Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s seat.
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