President Donald Trump went straight at Democrat James Talarico on Tuesday, using a rally at the Port of Corpus Christi to make his closing case for Republican Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
With Election Day on November 3 just one week away, Trump spent much of his roughly 77-minute address on the Texas Senate contest between Paxton, the state’s attorney general, and Talarico, a Democratic state representative. According to KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, Trump referred to Talarico as “Tala-Freak-O” and told the crowd the Democrat would take away Texans’ guns, oil and meat if he were elected.
“Behind the tent”
Trump had the crowd laughing as he mocked Talarico’s attempts to show he enjoys Texas barbecue.
“I happen to think he was food poisoned by meat because he can’t stand it,” Trump said. “You ever see him go to a barbecue and he’s trying to show, ‘I love the meat, ah, I love it, look, look,’ and then you see him, where is he? He’s behind the tent, puking.”
The video
The president then paused his speech to play a video compilation of Talarico’s past remarks about transgender issues for the crowd.
When it ended, Trump delivered his pitch: “The only man standing between Texas and this raging lunatic is a man named President Donald J. Trump. And I need the help of Ken Paxton in the US Senate. I need a little help, please.”
Trump then called Paxton up to the stage. Paxton told the crowd he has “never seen anyone work harder” than the president.
More help for the Hill Country
Right after Paxton spoke, Trump made an announcement aimed at Texans still recovering from this year’s flooding.
“Thank you, Ken, and at the request of Ken Paxton and Senator Ted Cruz, I’m pleased to announce that I will be making available more FEMA relief funds from this year’s floods in Texas Hill Country,” Trump said.
He also repeated his promise of a $5,000 “Trump dividend” for Americans, but only if Republicans keep control of both the House and the Senate.
A race that could decide the Senate
The Paxton-Talarico race is one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms. Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in more than three decades, and Trump made his third trip to the state in a month to keep it that way.
After Corpus Christi, Trump headed to Lubbock for a second rally Tuesday night, where he was joined on the campaign trail by Texas football stars including Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola. Talarico held his own rally in Lubbock the same evening.
Early voting in Texas runs through October 30.