President Trump on Friday defended his decision to endorse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the state's GOP Senate primary, insisting that Cornyn would have lost the general election. In an appearance on Newsmax's "Finnerity," Trump was asked whether he had any second thoughts about backing Paxton, who defeated Cornyn in a runoff earlier this year.
"No, because I think Cornyn would have lost. I think Cornyn would have lost," Trump said. "Here's the way I look at it: Ken Paxton, some people don't love him, but everybody admits he was the best attorney general in the history of Texas, one of the best in the country."
Trump went on to praise Paxton's record, saying, "I dealt with all of them. He's one of the best attorney generals in the country. He was the best in the history of Texas, and that's the one that's the thing we really want to see. Not the way he dresses or the way he was. Ken Paxton was a great and is currently a great attorney general."
The president acknowledged Paxton's unconventional style, adding that he "was a little bit unconventional — he's a little bit this and that but frankly should get a lot of points by being the best."
Cornyn, who has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration since his primary loss, has not campaigned with Paxton and has repeatedly expressed concerns about Paxton's candidacy and its potential impact on the GOP ticket, given Paxton's history of legal troubles. Trump has also blamed Cornyn and conservative commentator Karl Rove for not doing enough to support Paxton's Senate bid, a point he reiterated in a Truth Social post on Friday.
The president also took aim at Democratic nominee James Talarico, accusing him of trying to ban drilling in Texas. "That should be the end of his campaign," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Talarico has been off the campaign trail recently, which has sparked rumors, but the progressive candidate has said he was suffering from the flu.
Despite Texas being traditionally a "fundamentally red state," according to Cook Political Report, the race has been rated a "toss-up" by election handicappers, citing heavy spending by national Republicans. Decision Desk HQ, a nonpartisan forecaster, gives Talarico a 56 percent chance of victory as of Friday morning.
The Texas Senate race is one of several competitive midterm contests where Trump's involvement has been a double-edged sword. His endorsement of Paxton has energized some conservatives but has also exposed divisions within the GOP. For more on Trump's midterm strategy and its impact on the party, see this analysis of the GOP's candidate quality problem. Meanwhile, Trump's recent threats to investigate former officials, including Clintons and Obama, have added to the political drama.
As the campaign heats up, Trump has also been active in other races, such as his trip to Georgia while 2028 rivals campaign in Michigan, and his recent comments about Elon Musk at an Arizona rally, calling him an '80% super genius'.
