Donald Trump on Mills's defeat: "thought he could win, so who can blame him?"

Donald Trump said he had urged Rep. Cory Mills to withdraw from his reelection campaign because of a series of allegations, but Mills persisted, convinced he could win. After Mills was defeated in the Republican primary for Florida’s 7th congressional district by former Fox news anchor Ryan Elijah, Trump switched his endorsement to Elijah, calling him fully aligned with MAGA and broadly respected. Mills is under a House ethics investigation for accusations that include dating violence, sexual misconduct, campaign‑finance violations and misuse of congressional resources; his former girlfriend secured a protective order after alleged threats, and another woman reported an assault, though no charges have been filed. Elijah now moves on to face Democrat Bale Dalton in the general election.