US President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House, Washington DC, Oct. 15, 2026.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
Trump's statement comes as the Texas Senate race has unexpectedly emerged as a critical battleground for the 2026 midterm elections. Recent polling indicates that State Representative Talarico holds a narrow lead over Attorney General Paxton, with margins typically in the low to mid-single digits. This development is particularly notable in a state that has consistently voted Republican for its Senate representation since 1988, and where Trump himself secured a significant victory over Kamala Harris in 2024.
The contentious primary battle saw Trump controversially endorse Paxton, a move that directly challenged the established Senator Cornyn. This endorsement and subsequent race have been viewed as a significant gamble due to Paxton's history of legal entanglements and internal party opposition, making him a divisive figure.
In his Truth Social post, Trump explicitly stated, "If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove, who have ineffectively opposed me for my entire political career."
Both Senator Cornyn's office and Karl Rove have not yet responded to requests for comment from CNBC regarding Trump's remarks.
The intensity of this race has attracted substantial financial backing, with groups supporting Republican candidates reportedly investing hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to maintain Democratic control of the Senate. According to AdImpact, Republican expenditures have surpassed $370 million, significantly outpacing Democratic spending by nearly $235 million.
This is not the first time Trump has publicly criticized Rove. He has frequently referred to Rove as a "loser" and urged Fox News to cease featuring him. In a previous Truth Social post on September 14th, Trump asserted that Rove "is so bad for the Republican Party, and completely wrong so often."
Adding to the political drama, Rove penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal just two days after Trump's September post, revealing his intention to support a Democratic candidate in a separate Texas race, marking only the second time in his career he would vote for a Democrat.
