It's Talafreako vs. Paxacreepo in Texas
Based on Trump AG Wardrobe Analysis
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September 3, 2026
Texas Republican Ken Paxton can forget about a new career as a runway model if he loses to Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race in the midterm election two months from now after a mocking critique of his wardrobe by the world's most famous new fashion analyst - President Donald Trump.
With the Senate contender expecting a rocket boost from the president next week in Dallas at the longest pep rally in history, Paxton might want to make a quick trip to the mall to get a decent suit or two to wear at an event that only rich folks can afford to attend. The state attorney general also might try to find time for a visit with a speech pathologist in the wake of Trump's demeaning words about the outfits he wears and his speaking abilities on Wednesday in the all-time most bizarre endorsement ever issued in a political race.
"Ken Paxton - you might not like the way he dresses - and I say this - it's so insulting to him," Trump said of the Texas Senate nominee. "But I might as well say it. You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his television interviews. But he was the best attorney general in the country perhaps. He was one of the best in the entire country. And that speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great - or than anything - frankly."
As a candidate who's totally dependent on Trump, Paxton has to wonder why the president would make so much fun of him a week before an event that the AG expects to be the turning point for a campaign that's sputtered throughout the summer. Paxton has envisioned the Great American Comeback Midterm Convention that gets under way next Wednesday as the turning point for a campaign that's relied on a primary election strategy for the midterm vote. He has to ask himself how Trump is trying to help him by making it sound like he's a sloppy dresser and stumbles on his tongue when he's on television.
Paxton has been accused of all sorts of bad things - from stealing fancy ink pens to cutting deals with child rapists to giving the keys to the AG's office away to a sweetheart donor. He's never been considered a modern-day Clarence Darrow when it comes spitting the words out. But a lack of taste in the clothes he wears hadn't been on the list up to now.
The overriding question now in the run-up to the Great American Comeback Midterm Convention that gets under way next Wednesday is how Trump thought he would be helping Paxton by making it sound like he gets his suits at the Salvation Army or the sales rack at Walmart when he's trying to go in style. .
The president failed to point out that Paxton was photographed recently in a Four Seasons Polo with a $41,000 gold watch on his wrist. That should count for something. Trump could have been trying to send some sort of message to the Texas Senate nominee beyond the apparent fact he thinks the guy needs a better tailor and speech class or two.
Trump could have been attempting to mitigate perceptions that stem from Talarico's frequent claims about Paxton living a life of excess on a government salary. With Talarico dishing out tweets about the top Texas lawyer owning 15 homes from Florida to the Hawaiian islands, Trump could have seeking to counter the claim by making it look more like Paxton was a homeless guy with a law degree than a politician who's been riding high on other people's money.
Trump could be trying to illicit sympathy for Paxton - to make the big donors feel guilty about their refusal up to now to back his Senate bid which has been at a massive disadvantage against the record-setting fundraiser Talarcio. Trump has yet to share a massive war chest with Paxton or the other candidates at risk of losing races at a time when a Talarico victory in Texas could swing the majority to the Democrats. U.S. Senator John Cornyn - the incumbent who Paxton eliminated in a primary runoff - said Trump has more than $400 million stashed away in his super PAC MAGA Inc. But Trump could be shaming his own wealthy contributors into giving some to Paxton by making it look like the poor guy doesn't have the money to buy some nice threads. Who knows?
Trump's disparaging words about the way the Republican Senate hopeful dresses and speaks did not appear to be appear spontaneous off-the-cuff remarks designed for a quick and easy laugh. Like a couple of old buddies talking track on a fantasy football league message board. Trump said the same things about Paxton in at least two different settings on the same day - once while standing at a podium and once when he sitting at a desk. .
Trump has treated Paxton like a close friend since the state lawyer tried to overturn the 2020 election on his behalf at the U.S. Supreme Court. Paxton has appeared to be one of Trump's favorites ever since.
But Trump put Paxton in a precarious and unenviable position with the very public personal insults. Will the GOP Senate nominee dismiss the stinging review on his attire and speech as kidding around from an old pal? Back in the school yard, kids who wanted respect would have to respond in kind when other kids gave them a hard time about the way they looked and behaved. Paxton could come up with some sort of counter punch to even the score - like a joke about Trump's hair or his own suits looking a little too tight for comfort.
Trump said the Democrat he called Talafreako was the worst candidate that's ever run for public office. But the MAGA base has already heard that a thousand times. Don't be surprised, however, if Talarico and the Democrats start referring to the GOP nominee in Texas as Paxacreepo based on the president's assessment of his clothing and ability to articulate.
more to come ...
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