President Donald Trump brushed off questions on Wednesday regarding leaked audio of Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Paxton reportedly told donors that a recent GOP midterm convention in Dallas caused polling numbers to drop for party candidates.
Addressing reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump stated that he had not heard the recording. He then praised the gathering’s overall viewership and described the event as a major success. “But I can tell you that the convention was amazing, as you probably know,” Trump told reporters, adding that other Republican candidates benefited greatly from the two-day gathering designed to champion his presidential record.
The Leaked Recording and Campaign Fallout
The audio recording was published by The New York Times on Wednesday, though CBS News has not independently verified the footage. The excerpt captures a private event in South Texas with lobbyists and donors, where an unidentified attendee asked a voice believed to be Paxton: “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?”
The speaker identified as Paxton responded: “So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”
The revelation threatens to complicate an already tense political landscape in Texas. Paxton secured Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement ahead of a bruising primary runoff against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, a four-term senator and key party fundraiser. While the September convention in Dallas was intended to drum up unified support for conservative candidates in a competitive election cycle, Paxton’s polarizing history and tighter-than-expected polling figures against Democratic opponent James Talarico have brought friction points into public view.
Campaign and Opponent Responses
Representatives for Ken Paxton forcefully pushed back against the report. Nick Maddux, a senior advisor to the campaign, dismissed the recording as “manipulated nonsense to create a story that doesn’t exist.” Maddux pointed toward internal polling metrics indicating that Paxton maintains a three-point lead over Talarico, asserting that campaign numbers have steadily improved since early September.
Independent polling averages, however, present a tighter contest. Decision Desk HQ figures and recent regional polls have shown Talarico holding a slim advantage, injecting fresh optimism into the Texas Democratic Party.
Sen. John Cornyn, when asked by reporters about the leaked audio on Wednesday, offered a brief “whoops!” before warning that Texas remains a challenging environment for Republican contenders this cycle. Meanwhile, the Texas Democratic Party released a statement accusing Paxton of being disloyal and calling his private remarks deeply embarrassing to the president.
Upcoming Texas Campaign Stop
The controversy surfaces just as President Trump prepares for a high-profile campaign trip to Denton, Texas, scheduled for Thursday. The presidential visit is slated to feature economic remarks at a local manufacturing facility, though it remains unconfirmed whether Paxton will join the lineup on stage as severe storm forecasts and heavy rain threaten the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
As election day draws closer, political analysts are watching closely to see how the fallout from the private fundraiser impacts voter momentum across Texas’s most competitive statewide and federal races.
