Trump Says He Told Cory Mills to ‘Get Out’ Before Florida Voters Ousted Scandal-Plagued Congressman
President Donald J. Trump says he privately urged Rep. Cory Mills to abandon his reelection campaign before Florida Republican voters ultimately rejected the embattled congressman in Tuesday’s primary.
Trump publicly distanced himself from Mills on Wednesday, one day after former Orlando television journalist Ryan Elijah defeated the two-term incumbent in Florida’s 7th Congressional District Republican primary. Elijah received roughly 47% of the vote compared with about 34% for Mills.
Trump had endorsed Mills earlier this year but said he eventually concluded the congressman should leave the race as controversies surrounding him continued to mount. Trump never publicly withdrew his endorsement before Election Day, although he notably did not repeat it during the closing days of the campaign.
“I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” Trump said Wednesday. The president added that Mills believed he could still win and indicated he understood why the congressman decided to remain in the contest.
Trump quickly moved on from Mills following the defeat and threw his support behind Elijah for the November general election. The president described Elijah as a strong supporter of the MAGA agenda and gave the Republican nominee his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Elijah said Trump personally congratulated him by text following his victory. The former television anchor portrayed the result as a rejection of politicians consumed by personal controversies instead of representing their constituents.
Mills entered the primary facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into a series of serious allegations. The bipartisan panel has been examining accusations involving domestic assault, financial misconduct and claims concerning Mills’ military record. Mills has denied wrongdoing.
The Ethics Committee previously disclosed that investigators had issued more than 20 subpoenas, contacted dozens of witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Among the matters under scrutiny is a 2025 Washington, DC, police investigation involving allegations that Mills assaulted a female Republican activist at his apartment.
Mills was not charged in that case, and the woman later retracted aspects of her original account. The Ethics Committee nevertheless stressed that prosecutors declining to bring criminal charges did not amount to a determination that no wrongdoing occurred.
Investigators have also examined allegations involving Mills’ former girlfriend, Lindsey Langston. Langston accused the congressman of harassment and attempting to blackmail her with intimate videos. Mills has denied the accusations, while the controversy prompted Rep. Nancy Mace to introduce a resolution earlier this year seeking his expulsion from Congress.
Several prominent Florida Republicans abandoned Mills before voters went to the polls. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsed Elijah, while Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly declared that he did not support Mills. Haridopolos said he helped recruit Elijah because he believed Republicans risked losing the seat if Mills remained their nominee.
Despite Mills’ defeat and two other Trump-endorsed candidates losing Tuesday, Trump’s endorsement record remains overwhelmingly successful during the 2026 primary season. According to figures cited by the Post, 313 of the president’s 330 endorsed candidates have won their primaries.
Elijah will now face Democrat Bale Dalton in November in a district considered favorable to Republicans. Trump is making clear that whatever support he once had for Mills is finished, immediately rallying behind the Republican voters chose to replace him.