Trump takes double blow in Florida, third in Wyoming

▪ Tough night for Trump’s candidates

▪ Canada tariffs paused

▪ ABC sues FCC over free speech

▪ Ebola deaths hit record in Congo

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President Trump suffered a pair of losses in Florida’s primaries and another in Wyoming on Tuesday as three of his endorsed candidates were defeated in key primaries, showing the limits of his influence with sagging approval numbers.

Embattled Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) lost his chance at renomination against former TV reporter Ryan Elijah, who appears on track to win by double digits. Mills has been among the president’s strongest supporters in Congress since he was first elected in 2022, but he has faced mounting controversy amid a House Ethics Committee probe into his conduct.

The committee has for months been investigating various allegations of dating violence and campaign finance violations, which Mills denies. The congressman hasn’t been arrested or charged with a crime, but an ex-girlfriend of his was granted a restraining order against Mills for harassment last fall.

Mills has faced calls to resign or be expelled from Congress, including from at least a couple Republicans. Two key members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Elijah earlier this month.

Trump stuck by Mills but ultimately did not include him in a round of posts on Truth Social he made shortly before the primary boosting his endorsed candidates.

Another of the president’s endorsed candidates fell short in the race to succeed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who chose not to seek reelection to mount a gubernatorial bid. Donalds, with Trump’s endorsement, easily cruised to clinch the GOP nomination and is the favorite to win the general election.

Trump supported former Commerce Department adviser Catalina Lauf, who previously ran for the House in Illinois, in a crowded field in the solidly red district. Other candidates for the seat included former Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and Chris Collins (R-N.Y.).

But conservative talk radio station founder Jim Schwartzel emerged to win the Republican nod, currently leading Lauf by more than 7 points.

Trump issued a late endorsement to Lauf, only throwing his support behind her last week.

The president’s choice to become the next governor of Wyoming also had a rough night, as state Sen. Eric Barlow (R) easily won the nomination in a multi-candidate field.

Barlow defeated Trump-endorsed Megan Degenfelder, Wyoming’s superintendent of public instruction, and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien by double digits. The state lawmaker will be the heavy favorite to succeed term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon (R) in November.

Barlow campaigned on “respectful, effective leadership,” according to his campaign website. That seemingly put him in line with the frequent message of the outgoing Gordon, a somewhat more moderate Republican who has rejected intense partisanship in favor of a more pragmatic approach to politics.

Gordon didn’t endorse a successor in the primary.

The New York Times reported that Degenfelder and Bien both ran to the hard right.

The losses for Trump are still relatively rare but are slowly stacking up as primaries draw to a close.

Some of the most recent examples include Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), another controversial House member who lost his primary earlier this month, and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R), who was defeated in the state’s gubernatorial primary earlier this year.

Trump initially endorsed Evette but later declared his support for state Attorney General Alan Wilson ahead of a runoff in which Wilson easily won.

The next test of Trump’s influence will come next week, as Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) attempts to win a special GOP primary for a chance to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for a full term. She’s facing Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) in a runoff.

▪ The Hill: Democratic socialist notches surprise in Florida: Primary takeaways.

▪ The Hill: Graham, Norman tangle in South Carolina GOP Senate debate

Smart Take with Blake Burman

Iran continues to fire at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, even after Trump threatened several weeks ago to blow up bridges and power plants if missiles flew into the strait.  I asked Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) if the president will need to react forcefully. 

“He’s given diplomacy a chance. Iran has walked away from it. So, you know, at some point, he will not have a choice but to do more to destroy their ability to produce weapons,” Scott told me, adding that he guesses action could come “in the next 30 days or so.” 

The president also wrote on Tuesday that no negotiations are taking place between both sides. What’s clear is that the path forward remains incredibly murky. Most people I have on the show believe the commander-in-chief is likely going to have to go back in and escalate in the coming months.

Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. CDT on NewsNation.

Trump plans to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy official, to become the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, The New York Times reports. Overton, a booster of the Make America Healthy Again movement, would replace Dr. Marty Makary, who departed in May.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. would place sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane in the latest escalation of the fight between the administration and the court. Rubio has promised to work to dismantle the court “brick by brick.”

An appeals court panel upheld an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that put polluters on the hook to clean up toxic “forever chemicals.” The rule, backed by both the Biden and Trump administrations, faced an industry challenge over whether the EPA adequately considered the costs of its action.

Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a statement outside the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

ELEVENTH HOUR: The president announced a last-minute pause on his planned 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods as the U.S. and its neighbor work toward a deal.

Trump made the announcement just a few hours before the tariffs were set........

© The Hill