NOT GOOD KENOUGH

Trump’s Secret Regret Over Disastrous Pick Revealed

The president went all-in on the race, but behind the scenes is reported to have been harboring reservations.

President Donald Trump has admitted he regrets one of his doomed high-profile midterm picks, according to a new report.

The GOP was brutally battered by the Democratic Party at Tuesday’s midterms, losing control of both congressional chambers and sparking an instant blame game amongst conservatives.

For the president, the finger-pointing may have begun before a vote was cast, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal that documented the months leading up to his crushing defeat.

FLUCTUATING

Jaw-Dropping Details of Trump’s Midterm Outbursts Revealed

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It noted that Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in response to his frustration that Republicans already in Congress weren’t obeying him enough. In May, the 80-year-old moved to endorse a candidate with stronger MAGA sensibilities and whose loyalty could be guaranteed: Paxton.

But advisers told the Journal that Trump later regretted the decision, moaning about him as a candidate and second-guessing whether keeping John Cornyn—rather than orchestrating the four-term senator’s downfall—would have been the easier option.

The writing may have been on the wall for Paxton after the first round of the primaries, when he had to face incumbent Cornyn in a runoff.

Trump backed Paxton after the primary amid frustrations about Cornyn’s loyalty, but neither managed to achieve a clean 50 percent.

The day after the primary, Trump had called Senate Majority Leader John Thune to ask which horse to back. Thune brought the third-place Rep. Wesley Hunt into the conversation, who said that Cornyn was dead in the water.

Associates also said that Thune was reportedly confident that he convinced Trump to keep his nose out of the race for Texas. The Journal even reports that other allies told him to back Cornyn and a letter of endorsement for him was drafted.

Despite Thune’s wishes, Texas became a landmark battleground in the 2026 midterms, and Trump’s role became a key factor.

Despite hundreds of millions of dollars being plowed into Paxton’s causes by the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, he ultimately lost to Democrat James Talarico. It is the first time a Democrat has represented the state in the Senate for a generation.

Trump stumped for several candidates during the campaign, many in cherry-red states that would have been solidly Republican in past election cycles.

Alongside Darline Graham in South Carolina, Paxton was one of the main ones that should have been safe. But on the road, Trump’s relationship with him came across as a headscratcher.

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At one such rally, Trump thanked Paxton for staying “at my side more than anybody” when he was being criticized, according to CNN. He then joked, “And I have to always remember that because he could be a pain in the a-- sometimes. I’ll be honest.”

In another incident, the looks-obsessed president attacked him over his appearance, saying, “Some may not like the way he dresses. I don’t.”

When reached for comment on Trump’s decision to endorse Paxton, the White House referred the Daily Beast to Trump’s Election Day comments with Fox News host Bret Baier.

“I had no choice. Ken Paxton was a good guy, and I just wasn’t a fan of Cornyn. I just wasn’t a fan. I found him to be a disloyal guy. He was not a fan of mine. To be honest, when it wasn’t fashionable, he wasn’t there,” Trump said. “When it was fashionable, he kissed my a--.”

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Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

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