Trump suggests Paxton's defiance in Senate race could push him to endorse Cornyn

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Mar 5, 2026

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President Donald Trump on Thursday brushed off Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s insistence that he will stay in the Republican U.S. Senate race even if Trump endorses his rival, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

After Paxton said he won’t drop out of the May 26 runoff, the president reportedly suggested Paxton’s defiance could backfire by nudging him to support Cornyn.

“That’s bad for (Paxton) to say,” Trump said. “So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”

The back-and-forth came a day after Trump proclaimed he would weigh in on the Paxton-Cornyn run-off “soon.” He added that he would call on the candidate he doesn’t endorse to drop out.

Reports said Trump was leaning toward backing Cornyn after the incumbent logged a better-than-expected performance in the GOP primary, besting Paxton by about 1% with a third candidate keeping both frontrunners far from breaking the 50% mark needed to avoid a runoff.

Republican strategists and congressional leaders have strongly urged Trump to back Cornyn, even though Paxton is more popular with his far right-wing MAGA base.

They believe Cornyn will easily win reelection while Paxton could face a potentially tough battle to hold the GOP seat against newly minted Democratic nominee James Talarico.

The stakes are high as Republicans scramble to hold onto control of the House and Senate and polls suggest a Democratic blue wave is looming in the fall midterm election.

Trump trashed Talarico, who scored a solid primary victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, calling him “a terribly weak candidate” and “more woke.”

“I think he’s going to be much easier than her, because he doesn’t have a real following,” Trump said.