The MAGA movement is in visible uproar over speculation President Donald Trump could endorse establishment favorite Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff over hard-line conservative state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Trump triggered the backlash among the MAGA faithful after posting on Truth Social that he would endorse a candidate in the race and whoever he didn’t endorse should drop out. The post came only minutes after the Atlantic published a story saying that Trump was going to back Cornyn.
“Trump endorsing John Cornyn will be the single greatest insult to the Republican / MAGA base of the last 10 years,” Florida Republican County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini wrote on X. “There have been hundreds of other betrayals—but this one is worse. It will also guarantee that the mid-terms will be a major blowout for the GOP.”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who still identifies as MAGA despite breaking with Trump, was even more pointed in her criticism.
“This is wrong and the people of Texas should be able to vote for WHOEVER THEY WANT!!! NOT the candidate Trump demands,” Greene wrote on X. “People are furious over this and if Trump does this, it could actually be the real reason Texas Senate seat flips blue.”
Cornyn and Paxton are heading to a runoff election after neither candidate earned more than 50% of the vote in the Republican primary. Trump did make an endorsement in the March 3 primary race that also included Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX).
“I would vote for the devil to keep the senate Republican, but this would be completely idiotic,” conservative activist Ann Coulter said. “Incumbents who can’t win their own primaries generally go on to lose. Texans obviously do not want another 6 years of Cornyn.”
Cornyn has been fighting for his political life after cutting a bipartisan gun-control deal, leaving him with a tenuous relationship with the GOP base, which led to a bruising primary challenge.
The eventual Republican nominee will face Texas state Rep. James Talarico in the general election. Tuesday’s primary saw the highest turnout in two decades, and Talarico is expected to benefit from a motivated base of Democratic voters.
Trump, who stayed out of the Republican primary, announced Wednesday that he will endorse a candidate in the Texas Senate runoff “soon” and preemptively urged the other candidate to “drop out.” In his announcement, the president added that the next race has to be “perfect” to beat Talarico come November.
Paxton initially announced on Real America’s Voice that he will stay in the race, even if the president endorses his challenger. Trump told Politico that Paxton’s pledge is “bad for him to say.”
“That is bad for him,” said Trump. “So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.”
On Thursday, Paxton softened the pledge, saying he would weigh exiting the race if the GOP Senate passed the SAVE America Act, which would require national voter ID and proof of citizenship to register to vote.
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“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton said. “I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.
“For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done,” the attorney general said.