President Donald Trump was warned that endorsing a scandal-ridden MAGA candidate in a Republican Senate primary would cost him—literally—but is apparently refusing to take the message to heart.
Trump endorsed Texas’ scandal-plagued attorney general, Ken Paxton, over incumbent John Cornyn in May, despite Republican concerns that Paxton would be the weaker candidate in November’s general election.
Paxton went on to beat Cornyn and is now locked in a tight race that could help determine which party controls the Senate, with Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, 37, both out-fundraising and narrowly leading Paxton in some polls.
It’s now been revealed that after Trump’s May 20 endorsement, Senate GOP leaders issued a stark warning to Trump that if Paxton won, the president’s super PAC would have to bankroll an expensive general election campaign to sanitize Paxton’s image, CNN reported.
The 63-year-old has struggled to explain away his many controversies, including being charged with securities fraud, impeached by the Texas House on bribery and corruption-related charges, and accused by his wife, Angela, of adultery in a high-profile divorce, which is ongoing.
He emerged from the primary politically bruised and financially drained, with Cornyn and other key Republicans refusing to campaign for him or direct donors his way.
“Paxton’s a poor campaigner,” Cornyn, 74, told The Texas Tribune last week. “He’s lazy and doesn’t raise money. And he’s basically not offering a very compelling case for his election.”
More than three months after Trump endorsed him, the president’s political operation, MAGA Inc., has also refused to throw Paxton a financial lifeline, despite having $400 million-plus on hand.
“They keep saying they’ll spend, but they haven’t,” a senior GOP source told CNN.
Instead, Trump has limited his involvement to headlining a fundraiser last week for Paxton in which the money actually went to the Republican National Committee, and posting AI slop attacking Talarico on his Truth Social platform.
“I’m going to help Ken Paxton, and I’m going to spend a lot of time in Texas,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for the Houston fundraiser.
MAGA Inc., however, hasn’t publicly announced any spending plans for the midterms. And while spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer told CNN in a statement that the super PAC “will be hosting events throughout the nation” ahead of the midterms, it hasn’t announced any Texas dates.
With MAGA Inc. waiting so long to get involved, Talarico has been able to dominate the airwaves in Texas since June, spending about $31.5 million on advertising compared to the Republicans’ $4.7 million.
Sources have said for weeks that Paxton needed more advertising to counter Talarico’s message, according to CNN.
One GOP operative said it was “frustrating to watch” the lack of advertising support, given that Texas Republicans told the White House all along that it would be far more expensive to elect Paxton than Cornyn.
Both the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, told CNN they were confident in Paxton’s campaign, but neither would say directly if they planned to fund ad buys, CNN reported.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the NRSC, said he was confident that MAGA Inc. would “be fully engaged.”
Republicans are also hoping Elon Musk’s America PAC will swoop in and save Paxton, though once again, the group has mostly focused on posting social media attacks, CNN reported.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Paxton’s campaign and the White House for comment.
