Donald Trump says Texas Senate candidate Talarico should "report to a Debate Stage" against Paxton
“He should immediately report to a Debate Stage against Ken Paxton, who is ready, willing, and able, one of the best Attorney Generals in the Country, and will soon be, hopefully, a United States Senator representing the Great People of Texas!”
Reported October 9, 2026 by abc7amarillo.com. Checked word for word against that report.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday used Truth Social to push Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico to debate Republican nominee Ken Paxton for Texas’s open Senate seat, presenting Paxton as prepared and praising his record as attorney general while predicting he could win the Senate post. The post came as Talarico has accepted several debate invitations, including one Fox News said it would host if Paxton agreed; Paxton has not responded to invitations or a request for comment. Talarico said the decision now rests with Paxton. The race matters because Paxton trails Talarico in most polls before the Nov. 3 election, with voters favoring Talarico on living costs and many opposing Trump’s tariffs, according to a New York Times/Siena survey last month.
- abc7amarillo.com ↗︎09 OCT 2026