Donald Trump endorses Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton a week before state primary

President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton a week before the state's primary election day, dealing a major blow to the incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The President took to Truth Social to make his decision public, hailing Paxton as an "America First Patriot." He also said that Paxton had been loyal to him and the MAGA movement. As far as Cornyn is concerned, he will be following in the footsteps of Thomas Massie: taking on a Trump-endorsed Republican.

Trump said that Paxton's outlook for the country aligned with his own, which included terminating the filibuster and supporting the SAVE America Act. "Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate. He will tirelessly fight to continue the Great Growth of our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations (I just delivered the Largest Tax and Regulation Cuts in American History!), and Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A," the President wrote.

The lengthy Truth Social post also spoke about Cornyn, whom Trump appreciated as a "good man." However, the President believes that the Republican Senator has not always been supportive. "He was not supportive of me when times were tough and, despite having the Most Successful Economy in the History of our Country during my First Term and, with all of the many other things that I accomplished," the President said.

Cornyn took to X to make his case ahead of the election, appealing to Republican voters to vote for him instead of Paxton. He claimed to have worked closely with the President during both of his terms and that the relationship between the two had been friendly. However, the incumbent Senator believed that he was a stronger GOP nominee than Paxton to take on Democratic Texas State Representative James Talarico in the November Midterm elections.

Paxton, on the other hand, shared a message of gratitude for the President on X. "I am incredibly honored to have President Trump's COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT. No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate! Texas, get out and VOTE!" he wrote.

According to a CNBC report, this is the third instance of the President exerting his influence ahead of a Republican primary election. He was crucial in ending the re-election bid of Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who had voted to convict him in his second impeachment. Trump is also backing former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein against Thomas Massie in Kentucky, someone whom the President called "the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country," in an earlier Truth Social post.