NO REGRETS
Trump on Cornyn, after his pick Paxton loses Texas: ‘He kissed my ass’
Filed under GaffesMidterms 2026
YouTubeAlso on X: Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) ↗
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Ken Paxton lost the Texas Senate race. Trump would like you to know whose fault that isn’t, and whose ass was kissed.
On Fox News’ election-night coverage, Bret Baier asked whether he had regrets about backing Paxton. Trump said he had no choice. Paxton was a good guy, he said, and he “wasn’t a fan” of John Cornyn, whom he called disloyal. “When it wasn’t fashionable, he wasn’t there,” Trump said. Once it was fashionable, “he kissed my ass.”
The man he’s describing posted in May that he had voted with Trump “more than 99% of the time” (ABC News). Trump endorsed Paxton anyway, a week before the runoff, as “a true MAGA Warrior” (AP). Paxton beat Cornyn. Then AP called the Senate race for Democrat James Talarico.
Loyalty is a two-way street, apparently, as long as only one person is on it.
Related files
Read the full fileDemocrats take the House and Senate, and Trump’s picks lose 11 AP-called racesRelated Truth Social postTrump’s election-night blame list: Greg Abbott’s ‘RINO’ turn, then Fox NewsSource files
- Fox News on YouTube: the full election-night phone interview, 4 Nov 2026 (from 18:11)
- Aaron Rupar on X: the Cornyn answer
- Fox News on X: the Cornyn answer
- AP: Texas Senate race (Talarico, Paxton)
- AP: Trump endorses Paxton over Cornyn before the runoff
- AP: Paxton wins the GOP runoff
- ABC News: Trump endorses Paxton; Cornyn says he voted with Trump “more than 99%” of the time
