As funders pull back from Ken Paxton, Trump steps in with $10 million ad push
WASHINGTON, DC: Weeks after GOP donors reportedly asked Trump to help struggling Ken Paxton’s campaign, telling him they had "got bigger fish to fry," President Donald Trump on Saturday, September 5, made his first major midterm money move.
President Trump’s Super PAC has begun spending a lot to help Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) beat Democratic challenger James Talarico in their heated Senate race, paying $10 million for TV and online ads.
Trump to spend $10 million on Ken Paxton's ad campaign
The $10 million amount has been announced for the Lone Star State, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission.
The huge amount to Paxton in the first general election of the year comes as several recent polls have shown that Talarico has a healthy edge over Paxton.
Trump also prioritized loyal Ken Paxton over the sitting conservative Sen John Cornyn (R-TX) for endorsement earlier this year.
In an Oval Office press conference Friday, Trump pledged to pour “probably $400, 500 million” into the midterms, telling reporters the super PAC had amassed “close to a billion dollars.”
The $10 million is the only amount known to have been spent by MAGA Inc so far.
“We’re going to spend a lot of money because we don’t want to lose our country,” Trump said. “I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try to help us, and this is money from MAGA Inc. This is my money that I control.”
Trump warns US is doomed if Texas turns blue
President Trump, during a podcast last week, warned that the Republican Party, and the USA in general, is doomed if Texas turns blue, indicating that he is closely watching the Texas race.
“I will be the last Republican president and our country will live in hell!” Trump said.
The president said that if Democrats win Texas, it could lead to Puerto Rico and Washington, DC becoming states. He said that could make it very hard for Republicans to win national elections again.
Trump brands opponent James Talarico 'weirdo'
Trump has also stepped up his attacks on Talarico, calling him a “weirdo” and “freako.” Trump has criticized Talarico for not eating meat and accused him of hiding his most extreme ideas until after the election.
The president warned that Talarico would “revert” to his old ways once he wins the election.
“They call him Talafreako — and he is, he’s sort of a freak,” Trump said last week.
“His whole thing’s a lie. If you look at his statements from two years ago, it was crazy what he was saying. And the one thing I learned about politicians, because I haven’t really been doing this that long, really, you know, guys have been doing it a lot longer than me — but whatever their initial statement, that’s where they belong, that’s where they go back to,” Trump said.
