President Donald Trump may have heartily endorsed Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate in Texas, but his enthusiasm for the Lone Star State’s scandal-plagued attorney general appears to have its limits.
At a dinner in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, Trump pledged to “go to Texas and work for Paxton” ahead of the midterm elections this fall, before offering a blistering assessment of Paxton’s fashion sense and public speaking abilities.
“So Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses, and I say this, it’s so insulting to him, but I might as well say it,” the president said. “You might not like the way he looks, you might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews. But he was the best attorney general in the country, perhaps.”
He went on to note: “He was one of the best in the entire country, and that speaks a lot louder than the suit he’s wearing that doesn’t look so great. Or than anything, frankly.”
Trump stunned many GOP members this spring when he endorsed Paxton over the four-term incumbent, Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Over the course of a political career that spans more than two decades, Paxton has been at the epicenter of several personal and professional controversies, including criminal charges and allegations of infidelity. In 2023, he became the first Texas statewide elected official to be impeached in more than a century.
Still, Trump’s endorsement ultimately helped get Paxton over the finish line, and he beat Cornyn in Texas’ GOP Senate primary runoff in May.
Many Democrats and some Republicans, however, believe the president’s backing of Paxton has given a boost to his Democratic challenger, James Talarico. Early polls show Talarico notching a slight lead over Paxton in congressional districts Trump handily won in 2024.
Last week, Fox News host Laura Ingraham expressed concerns over the fact that Paxton has made only a handful of public appearances on the campaign trail since clinching his victory over Cornyn.
“I guess he’s hoping Trump and Elon Musk save him,” she said. “But he’d better get going in Texas.”