President Trump deflected on Wednesday when he was asked about leaked audio of his close ally, Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who reportedly told donors that “everybody’s numbers are down” after the recent GOP midterm convention in Dallas.
Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office that he “hadn’t heard that” about Paxton’s comments, adding: “But I can tell you that the convention was amazing, as you probably know.” He then touted the convention’s viewership and argued that “other people were helped greatly” by the two-day event, which touted Republican candidates and focused heavily on Mr. Trump’s record.
Vice President JD Vance also dismissed the Texas attorney general’s remarks, telling Fox News Wednesday, “What Ken said in an off-the-record conversation with a donor — I got to be honest with you — I’m not particularly concerned about. We’re going to help Ken.”
Paxton’s comments were leaked to The New York Times, which published the clip on Wednesday. CBS News has not independently verified the audio.
In the excerpt, Paxton was asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” although it’s unclear who the question was referring to. It was recorded during a private event with lobbyists and donors in South Texas, according to the Times.
Paxton responded: “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.”
In response, Paxton spokesperson Nick Maddux said it was “manipulated nonsense to create a story that doesn’t exist” and pointed to an internal poll that showed Paxton leading his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, by three points.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Denton, Texas, on Thursday, although it’s unclear if Paxton will be there. The president’s visits to the area are slated to happen as the region faces the threat of heavy rain and flooding. Storms are forecast to develop on Wednesday, with some showers and thunderstorms moving into the Dallas-Fort Worth area late that afternoon and into the early evening.
In September, Mr. Trump headlined an unprecedented two-night midterm convention in Dallas that was intended to drum up support for GOP candidates as Republicans head into a hostile election environment this cycle. While it may have seemed like the GOP candidate for Senate in Texas would be the star of such an event, support for Paxton has been muted among many Republicans after the bruising primary with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a key party fundraiser.
Mr. Trump has long sparred with Cornyn, and the president issued an 11th-hour endorsement to Paxton, a longtime ally. Paxton came out ahead of Cornyn, a four-term senator, in a runoff, triggering an earthquake in Texas politics.
At the convention, Mr. Trump said Paxton “may not dress right,” “may not talk exactly perfectly” and “may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.” But he added that Paxton is “the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator.”
There has not been a Democrat elected statewide in Texas since 1994, and Democrats have recently flamed out in the past few cycles with exciting candidates who were also prolific fundraisers. But Mr. Trump’s low approval ratings — especially among Hispanic voters — and Paxton’s polarizing past have given Democrats renewed hope this year.
Recent polls have shown Paxton trailing Talarico. Talarico appeared at an event virtually on Wednesday but did not mention the Paxton comments.
The Texas Democratic Party issued a statement on Wednesday saying Paxton is “loyal to nobody but himself” and calling the comments “embarrassing to the president.”
When asked Wednesday about the audio, Cornyn said “whoops!” When pressed further by CBS News, he added that Paxton has not led public polls and warned, “it’s a tough environment, period.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we haven’t elected a Democrat since before 1994 in Texas, and I think we’re at risk,” Cornyn said. He also told CBS News that he does not believe he would have been in a similar situation, with his numbers “dropping,” if he were the nominee.
