President Trump deflected Wednesday when asked about leaked audio of his close ally, Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who reportedly told donors that “everyone’s numbers are down” after the recent GOP midterm convention in Dallas. Trump said in the Oval Office that he “hadn’t heard that” about Paxton’s comments, adding, “But I can tell you the convention was incredible, as you probably know.” He then highlighted the convention audience and argued that “other people were a big help” by the two-day event, which promoted Republican candidates and focused heavily on Trump’s record. Vice President JD Vance also dismissed the Texas attorney general’s comments, telling Fox News on Wednesday: “What Ken said in an off-the-record conversation with a donor — I’ve got to be honest with you — doesn’t particularly concern me. We’re going to help Ken.” to The New York Times, which published the clip on Wednesday. CBS News has not independently verified the audio. In the excerpt, Paxton was asked, “Do you feel like it’s a little heavy?” although it is not clear who the question was referring to. It was recorded during a private event with lobbyists and donors in South Texas, according to the Times. Paxton responded: “So to be honest with you, the numbers, when we did that convention, they made our numbers drop. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, it’s not good.” In response, Paxton spokesman Nick Maddux said it was “nonsense manipulated to create a story that doesn’t exist” and pointed to an internal poll that showed Paxton leading his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, by three points. Trump is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Denton, Texas, on Thursday, and Paxton is expected to attend. The president’s visits to the area are planned as the region faces the threat of heavy rain and flooding. Storms are forecast to develop Wednesday, with some showers and thunderstorms arriving in the Dallas-Fort Worth area later that afternoon and into the early evening. In September, Trump headlined an unprecedented two-night midterm convention in Dallas that aimed to drum up support for Republican candidates as Republicans head into a hostile election environment this cycle. While it might have seemed like the Republican Senate candidate in Texas would be the star of such an event, support for Paxton has been muted among many Republicans after the bruising primary with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a key party fundraiser. Trump has long feuded with Cornyn, and the president issued a last-minute endorsement of Paxton, a longtime ally. Paxton emerged victorious over Cornyn, a four-term senator, in a runoff election, triggering an earthquake in Texas politics. At the convention, Trump said Paxton “may not dress well,” “may not speak exactly perfectly” and “may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.” But he added that Paxton is “America’s best attorney general and deserves to be its next senator.” There hasn’t been a Democrat elected statewide in Texas since 1994, and Democrats have recently exploded in recent cycles with interesting candidates who were also prolific fundraisers. But Trump’s low approval ratings (especially among Hispanic voters) and Paxton’s polarizing past have renewed Democrats’ hopes this year. Recent polls have shown Paxton trailing Talarico. Talarico appeared virtually at an event Wednesday but did not mention Paxton’s comments. The Texas Democratic Party issued a statement Wednesday saying Paxton is “loyal to no one but himself” and called the comments “embarrassing for the president.” When asked Wednesday about the audio, Cornyn said “Oops!” When pressed further by CBS News, he added that Paxton had not led in public polls and warned that “it’s a tough environment, period.” “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we haven’t elected a Democrat since before 1994 in Texas, and I think we’re at risk,” Cornyn said. He also told CBS News that he doesn’t think he would have found himself in a similar situation, with his numbers “going down,” if he were the nominee. Olivia Rinaldi and Nikole Killion contributed to this report. 2026 Midterm Elections Go deeper with The Free Press at:
