Earlier this week, a White House official told Politico, that Trump’s support “is the most powerful endorsement in the history of American politics,” and called anyone who questioned that “a complete and utter fool.” Last night, three Trump-endorsed candidates lost their primaries. Trump’s endorsement has undeniably aided many Republican candidates in their primaries, but recent losses show he may no longer hold the same power. As Trump attempts to install loyal servants in elected positions across the country, Americans are showing it takes more than Trump’s stamp of approval to win their support. Voters are hurting from Trump’s economic chaos and cruel governance, and they are looking for a change come November.
Voters are rejecting Trump allied candidates, even in races where his candidates should be safe.
Last night, Florida U.S. House candidates Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf and Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Megan Degenfelder all lost their primary elections. All three were Trump-endorsed. [Newsweek]
Trump-backed candidates are falling short in major races this year, as his gubernatorial primary candidates in Iowa, Georgia, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Wyoming all lost their nominations. In South Carolina, Trump made a last-minute dual endorsement after weeks of supporting Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. [Politico; The Hill]
Trump said in an interview in early June, “Everybody I endorse wins. I mean everybody.” [Pod Force One Podcast]
Voters rejected the Republican nominee in a Butler County, Pennsylvania special election for a state House seat, in a district Trump carried by 18 points in 2024. This rejection is especially salient, as Trump survived an assassination attempt in this county just two years ago. [WESA, U.S. Secret Service]
Just weeks ago, Trump-endorsed candidate Amir Hassan lost the Republican primary in MI-08 to Thomas J. Smith. This was an especially shocking rejection as Smith suspended his campaign weeks before the election, but still finished with 50.4%, compared to Hassan’s 33.2%. [Newsweek]
Trump chooses candidates that would be dangerous leaders for the American public.
Trump-endorsed Senator Darline Graham, who is competing in a South Carolina runoff election, gave a startling answer on the debate stage last night. When asked about U.S. relations with Taiwan, Graham responded, “I’m not that informed on national security…but I do support the military.” [AP News]
In FL-07, Ryan Elijah defeated Trump-endorsed, scandal-plagued Cory Mills. Mills has been accused of threatening a former girlfriend with revenge porn, physically assaulting a woman he was dating, and is currently under investigation by an ethics panel for potentially violating campaign finance laws. Mills denies these allegations. [CBS News]
Even conservative Republicans dissented from Trump’s endorsement of Mills, with fellow Florida Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsing Elijah and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stating, “I do not support Cory Mills.” [CBS News]
After Mills’ loss, Trump is now claiming he told Mills to “get out of the race.” [Truth Social]
This is a pattern for Trump, as he is also standing by his endorsement of alleged abuser Max Miller, who is running for reelection in Ohio’s 7th district. Miller denies the abuse allegations. [The Hill]
Trump’s willingness to endorse alleged abusers Mills and Miller makes sense as Trump himself was found liable in civil court for sexually abusing and defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll. [Washington Post]
As Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, his iron grip on the Republican Party is starting to weaken.
Trump’s job approval rating hit his two term low of 33%, -29 points underwater in this weekly poll. [Economist/YouGov]
Even some Republicans are souring on Trump, with his approval rating at +58 among Republicans, down from +91 when he took office. [Economist/YouGov]
This drop is driven by the roughly 30% of Republicans who do not identify as MAGA who are now split on Trump approval (51% approve to 47% disapprove) after starting at 90% approval in 2025. [Economist/YouGov]
While multiple different polls show Trump’s approval rating falling to historic lows, Democrats lead 48.3% to 41.5% on the generic ballot polling average. [Silver Bulletin]
New York Magazine political analyst Ed Kilgore said that presidential approval rating has “historically” been “the single biggest factor shaping midterm elections.” [MS Now]
Share this video of Trump-endorsed Senator Darline Graham saying she is “not that informed on national security.”
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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