Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate with the endorsement of President Trump, reportedly told donors that Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas hurt his campaign against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
[NOTE: The New York Times reported that it obtained audio of Paxton making the comments, which his campaign says is “more manipulated nonsense.”]
Former U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) — who served as Speaker pro tempore of the United States House of Representatives between the speakerships of Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson — blasted Paxton for “biting the hand that made him.”
As seen below on CNN, McHenry criticized Texas Republicans, who, because they didn’t like the incumbent John Cornyn, “elected the guy who they knew was a crook or criminal who was this close to being impeached as attorney general.”
[NOTE: The Texas House did impeach Paxton in 2023. The Texas Senate acquitted him on all articles of impeachment.]
“Absolutely astronomically stupid, first order!” @PatrickMcHenry goes off on Ken Paxton, saying that he’s “so stupid that he’s biting the hand that made him.” pic.twitter.com/jBA3msGW4f
— The Arena on CNN (@TheArenaCNN) September 30, 2026
McHenry added: “Paxton was made and invented by Donald Trump. It was his savior, it got him through being impeached as attorney general, it got him the nomination to be a Texas senator. Without Donald Trump, he’s nothing.”
McHenry added of Paxton, “This guy is so stupid, he is biting the hand that made him and invented him.” He added, “Absolutely astronomically stupid.”
The former Speaker pro tempore also said, “It is one of the dumbest moments in a really bad election cycle.”
Despite his vitriol for Paxton, McHenry isn’t supporting Talarico. He called the Democratic nominee “a very deeply weird guy.” Yet as McHenry sees it, Talarico “has an advantage” because Paxton “cannot help himself and get out of his own damn way.”
[NOTE: After opting not to run for re-election and leaving Congress at the beginning of 2025, McHenry joined Lazard, where he advises firms in the financial, technology, and artificial intelligence space.]
