President Donald Trump brought his political roadshow to Denton on Thursday, throwing his weight behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate campaign while unloading on Democratic opponent James Talarico.
Speaking to supporters gathered at the Peterbilt Motors plant, Trump mixed a pitch for his economic agenda with praise for Paxton, Republican shoutouts and the kind of personal attacks that have become a fixture of his campaign appearances.
Trump described Paxton as a longtime friend and “one of the most loyal people” while urging Texans to send the attorney general to Washington.
But before turning fully to the Senate race, Trump used the Peterbilt plant as a backdrop to make his case that his trade and tariff policies are rebuilding American manufacturing.
Peterbilt recently added 1,000 jobs at its Denton operation, a development Trump pointed to as evidence that his economic approach is working.
“Workers like you and companies like this have always been loyal to our country. But for decades, you were heartlessly betrayed by politicians, lousy politicians who let foreign trade cheaters plunder your wages, loot your factories, close up your jobs, and they robbed our country blind,” Trump said.
The president credited tariffs with helping reverse those trends and claimed manufacturing workers have seen their wages increase by nearly $4,000 since he took office.
“After years of decline, this year, the United States has added 60,000 new manufacturing jobs,” Trump said.
Sarah Renshaw, an events manager at Peterbilt, also credited Trump’s tariffs with helping the company expand production and hire additional workers, including her son.
Trump acknowledged that his administration may be having trouble convincing voters of its economic record.
“The only thing we’re doing badly at is public relations. In other words, we’re doing a phenomenal job, but… maybe we’re doing a bad job in selling it,” he said.
Trump rallies Texas Republicans behind Paxton
The Denton rally also brought out a long list of Texas Republicans.
Trump recognized U.S. Reps. Pat Fallon, Keith Self, Jake Ellzey, Roger Williams, Craig Goldman and Beth Van Duyne, along with state Sen. Tan Parker.
He reserved particularly warm praise for Rep. Ronny Jackson, calling him “one of my favorite people in politics,” and described Rep. Brandon Gill as a “young, handsome star.”
Trump also mentioned Sen. Ted Cruz and recalled their bruising battle for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
But Paxton was clearly the main attraction.
“Ken Paxton was at my side, more than anybody,” Trump said, later calling him “the greatest Attorney General in the United States of America.”
Trump’s appearance reinforced an endorsement that has become central to Paxton’s Senate campaign. During the Republican primary against Sen. John Cornyn, Trump praised Paxton for having “always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT.”
Even Thursday’s praise came with some characteristic Trump ribbing.
Paxton “can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I’ll be honest,” Trump told the crowd.
Trump stopped short of revisiting jokes about Paxton’s appearance and fashion choices that he has made at previous events, including last month’s Republican National Convention in Dallas.
He also avoided discussing leaked private comments from Paxton about that convention.
According to The New York Times, Paxton said the Dallas gathering had hurt Republican polling numbers.
“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,” Paxton said in the leaked remarks.
Trump had already brushed aside the comments when questioned by reporters.
Trump goes after Talarico
If Paxton received mostly praise Thursday, Talarico got the opposite treatment.
Trump repeatedly mocked the Democratic state representative, focusing much of his attack on Talarico’s diet.
“You got a freako that’s running against [Paxton]… you notice how all of a sudden, he’s eating meat. He doesn’t eat meat; he’s a vegan… vegans don’t do well in Texas, OK,” Trump said.
Trump claimed that if Talarico wins the Senate race, “He’ll become a vegan again.”
“He’s got no choice; he can’t stand meat,” Trump added.
The president then shifted from the unusual dietary attack to a broader warning about the stakes of the Texas Senate contest.
“Texas represents so much. It would be such a horror to put a guy, a freak like that, in there; it would be such a horror to your state, and such a horror to the country,” Trump said.
The Denton appearance left little doubt about where Trump stands in the race. Paxton has spent years cultivating his relationship with the president, and Trump is now putting his political influence behind the attorney general’s effort to make the jump from statewide Texas office to the U.S. Senate.
With the campaign entering its final stretch, Thursday’s rally also offered a preview of the argument Trump and Republicans appear ready to take to Texas voters: credit the administration for manufacturing growth, portray Paxton as a loyal ally and make Talarico a national target in what could become one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
