President Trump pulled his endorsement of Rep. Jeff Hurd on Saturday, calling the Colorado Republican a "RINO" who sided with foreign countries over the United States on trade. In the same breath, Trump threw his full support behind Hope Scheppelman, a Navy veteran and critical care nurse practitioner, to replace Hurd in Colorado's 3rd District.

The break came fast. On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision blocking Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. Hours later, Hurd posted on X, touting Congress's constitutional authority over trade decisions. By Saturday, Trump had seen enough.

"Based on a lack of support, in particular for the unbelievably successful TARIFFS imposed on Foreign Countries and Companies which has made America Richer, Stronger, Bigger, and Better than ever before, I am hereby WITHDRAWING my Endorsement of RINO Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado's 3rd District, and fully Endorsing Highly Respected Patriot, Hope Scheppelman, to take his place in Congress."

According to Fox News, Trump didn't stop there. He said Hurd "is one of a small number of Legislators who have let me and our Country down" and accused the congressman of being "more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America."

Hurd's Gamble

What Hurd actually said wasn't some fiery denunciation of the president. It was, on its surface, a civics lesson. But the timing turned it into something else entirely.

"The Supreme Court has clarified the scope of IEEPA, and that clarification matters."

He went further, arguing that "Article I assigns Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to impose tariffs" and that "major trade decisions should rest on clear statutory authority, not expansive emergency interpretations." He concluded that if tariffs are necessary, "Congress should debate them and vote on them directly."

There's nothing technically wrong with any of that as a matter of constitutional text. The problem for Hurd is context. When a president is fighting to rebalance decades of lopsided trade deals and a hostile Court just handed his opponents a weapon, rushing to the microphone to remind everyone about "separation of powers" reads less like principle and more like positioning.

Hurd wasn't offering an alternative path to get tariffs done through Congress. He wasn't proposing legislation to codify the president's trade agenda on firmer statutory ground. He was scoring points with the process crowd while the administration scrambled to respond to a ruling that threatened to gut a core policy priority.

That distinction matters.

Trump Moves Anyway

While Hurd was posting about constitutional design, Trump was actually governing. Earlier Saturday, the president announced he would raise the global tariff rate from 10% to 15%, effective immediately, issuing the order under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. He called the Supreme Court's IEEPA ruling "ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American," then pivoted to a different legal authority altogether.

"I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff … to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level."

That's the difference between a legislator who talks about process and an executive who finds a way forward. The Court closed one door. Trump walked through another one.

The Endorsement as Currency

Trump acknowledged the weight of his decision. He noted he has only revoked an endorsement once before, referencing former Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks.

"Taking back an Endorsement is a difficult decision for me. I have only done it once before, with a former Congressman named Mo Brooks, from Alabama… These are the decisions that must be made, however, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

The rarity is the point. A Trump endorsement isn't a gift you pocket and forget. It carries expectations: loyalty to the agenda, willingness to fight when fighting is hard, and an understanding that the movement is bigger than any single member's desire to look "reasonable" to the Beltway press.

Hurd miscalculated. He treated the endorsement as a passive asset rather than an active obligation. When the moment demanded solidarity, or at least silence, he chose to grandstand.

Who is Hope Scheppelman?

Trump described his new pick as a "distinguished Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, and a brave U.S. Navy Veteran, who knows the America First Policies required." He closed his endorsement with a characteristic promise to Colorado voters:

"Unlike RINO Jeff Hurd, HOPE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

Not much is known publicly about Scheppelman from the available details, but the profile fits a pattern. Military service. Healthcare background. No history of hedging when the president needs allies. The kind of candidate who doesn't post constitutional theory threads on social media the day after a hostile Supreme Court ruling.

The Bigger Picture

This episode is small in isolation. One congressman, one endorsement, one district. But it signals something larger about how the next phase of the Trump agenda will be enforced within Republican ranks.

The tariff fight is not going away. The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling on IEEPA means the legal battlefield has shifted, and the administration will need Congress to either codify trade authorities or defend executive action on a firmer statutory footing. That requires Republicans who are willing to do more than cite the Federalist Papers when things get uncomfortable.

There are legitimate debates to be had about congressional authority over trade. But those debates happen in committee rooms and through legislation, not through social media posts designed to distance yourself from a president whose voters put you in office. If Hurd wanted Congress to reclaim its tariff authority, the productive move was to introduce a bill backing the president's trade goals through congressional action. Instead, he offered commentary.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hurd's office for comment and did not receive an immediate response.

The silence says plenty.