Donald Trump has humiliated and insulted Ken Paxton to his face while campaigning for the controversial Texas Senate candidate.
The 80-year-old president delivered a speech at a Peterbilt Motors factory in Denton, Texas, on Thursday to give Paxton’s midterm bid a much-needed boost when the erratic Trump veered off script.
“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time, one of the most loyal people. When I was being hit by the radical left very hard, harder than very few people could have withstood it, Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody,” Trump said of the scandal-ridden Texas attorney general.
“I have to always remember that, because he could be a pain in the a-- sometimes. I’ll be honest,” Trump added.
The president then dismissively asked, “Is he here, by the way?” before spotting Paxton—whom he has endorsed in the Texas Senate race against Democrat James Talarico in what is expected to be one of the most watched and crucial races on Nov. 3—in the crowd watching the president insult him.
“I didn’t even know if he was here. I don’t care; I would say the same thing,” Trump continued, before remembering why he was in Texas and telling the crowd that “the guy is the greatest attorney general in the United States of America.”
Trump seemed to be venting his frustrations at Paxton after it emerged this week that he embarrassed the president while being recorded on a hot mic.
Paxton was recorded on audio obtained by The New York Times saying his polling numbers “dropped” after he attended Trump’s flop midterm convention in Dallas last month.
“So, to be honest with you, the numbers—when we did that convention—it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped,” Paxton replied. “Right now, yeah, not good.”
Paxton was among the Republican figures who did not boycott the midterm convention over fears that being associated with the deeply unpopular president would harm their election chances.
The president showed his appreciation for Paxton by mocking him on stage, saying he “may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.”
Trump’s remarks at the Peterbilt Motors factory in Denton weren’t even the only time on Thursday that Trump trashed Paxton.
While speaking at a campaign rally later in Durant, Oklahoma, Trump said voters need to send Paxton to the Senate “whether you love him or don’t love him—he’s a little controversial, just slightly.”
The constantly embattled Paxton was impeached by his own party in 2023 after being accused of a string of corruption, bribery and obstruction-of-justice allegations.
Although the Texas Senate later acquitted Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment, he remains dogged by numerous scandals, including further corruption allegations. His wife also filed for divorce last year on “biblical grounds” after rumors of an affair surfaced.
Multiple polls have shown Talarico leading Paxton in the crucial Texas Senate race. Talarico is hoping to become the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1988 and give the party a major boost in its bid to flip control of the Senate in November.
The Daily Beast has contacted Ken Paxton’s office for comment.
