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Protesters interrupt Trump's San Antonio rally as he pushes Texas voters to back Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate
At a San Antonio rally, Trump urged Texans to back Ken Paxton for Senate as protesters cut in repeatedly. Republicans are spending heavily to defend a red state where the Senate race is now competitive.
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What happened
President Donald Trump traveled to San Antonio on Wednesday night to rally support for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, ABC News reported in an Associated Press story. Speaking to a packed Freeman Coliseum, Trump tried to hold off what the report described as possible sweeping Democratic victories in the nation's most populous red state.
Protesters interrupted the speech again and again. At least a dozen demonstrators disrupted the president, including one who appeared to be close to the stage, and police led some of them away. Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone after one interruption.
Why Republicans are spending in Texas
An unplanned investment
Trump won Texas in 2024 by almost 14 percentage points, according to the report, but the Republican Party did not plan to put this much money and manpower into the state this midterm season. The rally was Trump's third trip to Texas in less than a month, and party officials have devoted more than $300 million to elections there so far.
ABC News reported that Trump's poor approval ratings, the Iran war and soaring gas prices have threatened Republicans in virtually every state, with Election Day less than a month away. Readers following the midterms can find more in our elections coverage.
A competitive Senate race
Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. The report said Democrat James Talarico's fundraising, Trump's low approval rating and nagging concerns about Paxton's character have put the race in play. Trump endorsed Paxton in the GOP primary over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
Trump called Paxton "perhaps the greatest attorney general in the United States of America." He did not mention a recently leaked recording in which Paxton lamented the Iran war and rising fuel prices and complained that his campaign was being run by operatives in Washington. Paxton joined Trump onstage near the end of the rally to thank him.
Abbott stays away
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a three-term governor who won reelection in 2022 by roughly 11 percentage points, did not attend. He is in a competitive reelection race against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa and was instead scheduled to attend a hospital dedication about 330 miles away, according to the report.
Democrats pointed to his absence. Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Jacob Long said Abbott had long embraced Trump, but that with families facing high prices, "suddenly Greg Abbott has somewhere else to be."
Other themes from the speech
The death penalty
Trump restated his support for the death penalty for "large scale drug dealers, human traffickers and anyone who kills a police officer" and criticized Talarico on the issue. He noted that the former Army major who killed 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, will be executed by firing squad, a method the president approved earlier this week. The Talarico campaign did not immediately respond when asked about the candidate's position on that execution, ABC News reported.
Iran and fuel costs
Trump clarified recent comments about the possibility of Iran bombing American cities, part of a recurring riff in which he describes high fuel costs as "a small price to pay" for the war. "We protect our cities. We protect our country," he said.
A medal pledge for Roger Clemens
Trump brought retired Red Sox and Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens onstage and said he would award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. Clemens has been denied a spot in the Hall of Fame due to his alleged involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. Trump called the medal "a step up" from the Hall of Fame.
What to watch next
- Election Day, less than a month away, will decide the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico.
- Gov. Greg Abbott faces a competitive reelection race against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.
- The scheduled firing-squad execution of the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, and whether the Talarico campaign states a position on it.
- Trump's pledge to award Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
