Quoted in "'That’s bad for him to say': Trump puts Paxton on notice in Texas Senate primary/The president appeared to scold the attorney general" (Politico)
Trump had previously stated he would ask the candidate he does not endorse to step aside. Senate Republicans have already asked Trump to back Cornyn, who narrowly pulled ahead of Paxton on Tuesday in the first round of the primary. The two now face a heated runoff, which could last for another three months unless one of them ends their campaign.
I think Trump refrained from endorsing anyone in Tuesday's primary to give Paxton a chance to show how strong a candidate he was. When he didn't get the 50% needed to avoid a runoff with Cornyn and in fact got less than Cornyn, he failed the test, and Trump was going to give the endorsement to Cornyn. It's sheer practicality. Paxton knows that. Perhaps he thinks his strongest move — a move that might impress Trump — is to say he'll never give up. It's like an episode of "The Apprentice," except that we don't get to see Paxton explain his strategy while Trump glowers at him.
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No its not "practicality" its Trump being a moron - as usual. Paxton supports him, Cornyn doesn't. I'm tired of Trump and his stupidity and constant support for people who sabotage and betray him. I'm beginning to wonder if Trump actually likes Graham, Collins, McConnell, etc. better than the MAGA pols who like him.
Keep this up and Trump will have ratings in the toilet and a massive loss in the midterms. But he may actually want that. Along with a Amnesty/DACA deal.
We should have just skipped all the drama and nominated Yeb!
So Trump's a moron when he endorses "loser" candidates who support him, but he's also a moron when he doesn't.
I see how this works.
What are the Thune crew going to do for Trump to keep Cornyn there?
Time to look at this from another direction. Cornyn outspent Paxton more than 25:1 and still couldn’t get to 50%. And that despite (or because of!) his incumbency.
@mccullough, I thought of that too, but then I decided that Trump would be mistaken if he imagined he could trust Thune, Tillis, McConnell, and especially not Cornyn.
I think Trump misunderstands the anti-Cornyn faction, which was split between Wesley Hunt and Ken Paxton. Trump should have stayed out of this. Trump is risking screwing this up as he did Canada’s election.
mccullough said...
What are the Thune crew going to do for Trump to keep Cornyn there?
Get the SAVE Act through the senate, which is what Paxton is helping him do by staying in the race. If Paxton leaves the race early in favor of Cornyn, that leverage is gone. Paxton has said as much.
@Wince, +1
As it's Politico I have my doubts. BTW, Paxton has already said he'd drop out if Cornyn pledged to support the SAVE act. He feels passing this will be one of the most consequential bills to save our Republic.
Of course the Senate Republicans want Trump to endorse Cronyn. He's on the team - but it's not Trump's bench we're talking about.
Cronyn got 41.9% of the vote, nowhere near 50%. Paxton got 40.7%. Hunt got 13.5%, and there are others adding up to about 4%. In others words, 58.1% of Texas Republican voters voted against Cronyn. It seems pretty clear that Paxton will have the clear advantage in the runoff, and it seems equally clear that Cronyn is happy to run as nasty a campaign as one can imagine. That's what Trump ought to notice, because Cronyn's character will finally be out in the open, cloaking off.
As Texas AG, Paxton got the Tom Delay treatment: Lawsuit after perfidous lawsuit designed only to smear him, funded from an endless supply of Progressive Democrats that were trying to kneecap a very effective political force that represented an ongoing threat. Cronyn will use a litany of all of those efforts to smear Paxton all over again.
Now Paxton is no choir boy, and neither was Tom Delay. One first has to decide whether they want to be winning, or losing.
MikeD said...
As it's Politico I have my doubts. BTW, Paxton has already said he'd drop out if Cornyn pledged to support the SAVE act.
As I understand, Cornyn already endorsed the Save Act. This is about Thune and Cornyn moving the McConnell Group.
Paxton didn't say Cornyn and Thune needed to support the Save act, he said they had to nuke the filibuster and pass it. Big difference. Of course they won't. Gives Paxton justification to stay in the race.
As an aside why the Bill Paxon tag? I loved him as an actor but I don't think he has anything in common with Ken other than a last name.
That's it man ! Game over, man ! Game over !
Cornyn spent 100 million paxton 24 million
The choice was between a pretend conservative who pretends to support Trump and a true conservative who is a liar and criminal. This is why Trump endorsed neither.
@narcisco, my information is that Paxton spent roughly $4 million, not $24 million
Thats even better
John C. has been in office for 24 ineffective years. Name something he has done for the Republic of Texas or for DJT
a true conservative who is a liar and criminal.
Paxton is as much a "criminal" as Rick Perry and Donald Trump. He ruined Democrat's plans to retain power.
I don't like that "glowers". I know it's correct, and I have no better advice, but I just don't like it. Nope I don't like it one bit. It sounds infelicitous.
If Trump has a weakness, it's trusting the swamp creatures, even a little. Unfortunately they have control of things, and it's a necessary evil right now, but Cornyn is a mistake to elect.
I voted for Wesley Hunt in the primary.
I'll vote for Paxton in the runoff.
I'm not worried that Talarico will be able to beat any R in the race. There is just so much hyperprog stuff in his record that even a guy with a bad rep like Paxton will dispose of him in November. Paxton was first indicted in 2015, and has been in trouble ever since. He was re-elected AG in 2022, impeached in 2023 and subsequently not removed by the state senate. Certain parallels come to mind.
I can't forgive Cornyn his squishiness on guns.
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