Trump distances himself from endorsed candidate Cory Mills after primary loss, backs opponent

Trump Distances Himself from Cory Mills After Primary Loss

Following embattled Rep. Cory Mills's major loss Tuesday in Florida's Republican primary elections, President Trump took to Truth Social to publicly distance himself from the disgraced MAGA lawmaker—and endorse his opponent, Ryan Elijah.

"I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn't listen," Trump wrote Wednesday. "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!" Trump added.

Trump announced his endorsement for Mills in February and remained quiet as numerous allegations against the Florida lawmaker stacked up in the ensuing months. Mills has been accused of:

• Sexual misconduct
• Harassment
• Campaign finance violations
• Financial disclosure violations
• Accepting inappropriate gifts
• Multiple ethics violations

He has faced a months-long ethics probe and is reportedly under investigation by the Department of Justice.

In 2024, Trump carried Mills's district by 12 points. When the outcome of Tuesday's primary race was called, Mills trailed his opponent by the same margin.

Pentagon Concealed Destruction of Key Naval Base, Report Says

The USS Abraham Lincoln was unable to be resupplied because the U.S. Navy's main resupply base in the Gulf of Oman was destroyed by Iranian strikes—a fact that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose not to make public, David Rhode, MS NOW's senior national security reporter, said on Tuesday.

From late February until June, Iran launched extensive missile and drone strikes on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, causing devastating damage that was not acknowledged by the Pentagon.

The U.S. Navy was forced to evacuate most personnel and move supply operations to a U.K. naval base on Diego Garcia, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean 2,200 miles from where two aircraft carrier groups have been operating in the Gulf of Oman.

Rhode also refuted Trump's repeated claims that the Strait of Hormuz was open and under U.S. control. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that a ship was attacked as recently as Tuesday, as it attempted to exit the strait. Rhode pointed to a separate incident in the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthis attacked a ship at the Bab el-Madeb Strait.

According to MS NOW, recent reports of horrific conditions aboard U.S. Navy ships showed that the U.S. Navy was clearly under "tremendous strain." Family members of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have reported:

• Food shortages
• Sanitation issues

During the Lincoln's more than 200 days without a port call, there have been multiple instances where sailors have tried to jump overboard. The problems experienced by U.S. Navy service members are not confined to just one ship.

Rhode criticized Trump's repeated dismissal of these concerns.