(Headline USA) President Donald Trump, facing protesters and a poor political climate, fought to rally Texas voters behind embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton on Wednesday night in a bid to stave off a blue wave in the nation’s most populous red state.
Speaking to a packed Freeman Coliseum, Trump also clarified recent comments in which he appeared to suggest the bombing of an American city would be “a small price to pay” for the war in Iran. He said Wednesday that Iran might try to hit an American city with a missile.
“You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them in Los Angeles,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country.”
The president’s message was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, including by one who appeared to be close to the stage. In all, at least a dozen demonstrators interrupted the president. Some were led away by police.
Trump stepped away from the microphone briefly after one interruption.
“He’s going back home to mom,” Trump said. “But what he doesn’t know is his mom voted for Trump.”
Wow Trump gets heckled in Texas and the protester gets assaulted by a member of the crowd. pic.twitter.com/Wm83sXcvgG
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 7, 2026
The Republican Party did not plan to devote so much money and manpower to Texas this midterm season.
Texas is the nation’s most populous reliably Republican state, where Trump won in 2024 by almost 14 percentage points. But with Election Day less than a month away, Trump’s poor approval ratings, the Iran war and soaring gas prices have threatened Republicans in virtually every state.
Wednesday’s appearance marked Trump’s third trip to Texas in less than a month, and party officials have devoted more than $300 million to elections in the state so far.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott did not attend the evening rally. A three-term Republican governor who won reelection in 2022 by roughly 11 percentage points, even Abbott has been caught in the turbulent national currents.
He’s locked in a competitive reelection race against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.
Instead of appearing with Trump, Abbott was scheduled to headline the dedication of a hospital about 330 miles away. Democrats seized on the governor’s absence.
“For years, Greg Abbott has never been shy about embracing Donald Trump, calling Trump a ‘great friend’ and championing his agenda every step of the way,” said Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Jacob Long. “But now, as Texas families get crushed by record-high prices driven by Trump’s tariffs and war with Iran, suddenly Greg Abbott has somewhere else to be.”
While the race for governor has drawn a sudden influx of cash from Democrats, the state’s U.S. Senate race has drawn the most attention as Democrats fight for the chamber’s majority. The state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but candidate James Talarico’s fundraising, Trump’s low approval rating and nagging concerns about Paxton’s character have put the race squarely in play.
Boy, that escalated quickly! 🤣
Trump Texas rally protester gets instant karma from patriotic crowd pic.twitter.com/QiTHxZp9CB— Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) October 8, 2026
Trump spent most of his remarks focused on the Texas Senate contest, describing Paxton as “perhaps the greatest attorney general in the United States of America.”
“He was tough and he was with us all the way,” Trump said of Paxton. “He’s a fantastic man.”
Trump made no mention of the recently leaked recording of Paxton lamenting the war in Iran and rising fuel prices, while also complaining his campaign was being run by operatives in Washington.
And while Trump praised Paxton briefly at the beginning of his remarks, he spent far more time attacking Talarico, whom he referred to repeatedly as “Tala-freako.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
