Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York criticized President Donald Trump’s management of the Republican Party, calling out Trump’s endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
“The president has done a favor for [James] Talarico and the Democrats in Texas,” York said on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Tuesday, hinting that Paxton, a candidate with MAGA appeal, is not what the state needs.
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Both Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) had been vying for Trump’s endorsement. Cornyn is a respected figure in the Senate, representing the traditional conservative GOP.
Paxton, however, is more Trump — and MAGA — aligned. Trump endorsed Paxton on Truth Social on Tuesday, writing, “Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN.”
In the same post, Trump recognized that Cornyn is a good man and they worked well together, but that Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
Neither Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas won the majority of votes in the March primary. An April poll showed that Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico was narrowly leading Paxton and Cornyn.
“I was amazed by the possibility that Paxton could get the nomination,” York said. “I thought Trump would eventually go with Cornyn, in part, to keep the Republican senators in line with him.”
York said there is a reasonable fear that the endorsement may jeopardize the majority.
“Have you thought that Trump now just seems absolutely obsessed with absolute, total control of the Republican Party? And the greater electorate, maybe not so much,” York said.
He argued that Trump doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the electorate or Democrats having the upper hand right now but that the president is “absolutely paying attention to showing total dominance.”
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“I think Trump sees his role as he’s got to bring the price of gas down. He’s got to get this Iran thing taken care of. He’s got to get on affordability, and if he does that, he can win,” York said. “And maybe he can.”
