Paxton hot mic on Trump

News · Heat 1.4 / 10 · 4 shows · 13m airtime

On October 1, 2026, Ken Paxton was caught on a hot mic saying Trump is hurting his Senate campaign. The same discussion noted James Talarico leading in Texas, Senate leadership planning to spend a couple hundred million dollars to help Paxton, and Florida polling showing Dave Jolly ahead of Byron Donalds for governor and Jose Javier Rodriguez up five points on James Uthmeier for attorney general. By mid-October, Trump had blamed John Cornyn and Karl Rove for a Paxton loss that has not happened yet. Neither Paxton nor Trump has responded to the remark itself.

How 4 podcasts covered it

1. Legal AF by MeidasTouch, 2026-10-01 (18:25 to 20:54)
   Reports Paxton's hot mic on Trump
   Reports a hot mic moment in which Ken Paxton says Trump is hurting his Senate race, plus Texas and Florida polling that has Democrats ahead down the ticket.
   New angle: Paxton was caught on a hot mic saying Trump is hurting his Senate campaign.
2. Pod Save America, 2026-10-16 (15:08 to 16:30)
   Argues Trump owns the Texas and Carolina races
   Picks up the blame game: Trump went after John Cornyn and Karl Rove over a Paxton loss that has not happened, and the hosts argue Texas and South Carolina are the races where Trump owns the outcome.
   New angle: Trump blamed John Cornyn and Karl Rove for a Ken Paxton loss that has not happened yet.
3. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-16 (20:48 to 23:49)
   Recaps the Truth Social post and Musk donation
   Recaps Trump's Truth Social post blaming Cornyn and Rove if Paxton loses, plus Musk's $158 million to SLF routed to a Texas PAC. Stays inside the week's coverage, adding only a Fox News aside about Paxton's lazy eye.
4. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-19 (9:02 to 10:21)
   Rounds up GOP candidate quality in Texas
   Rounds up Republican candidate quality with Kraushaar: Trump's frustration at Cornyn over Paxton, Graham's tougher-than-expected South Carolina race, and Paxton's scandals and weak campaigning. Analysis and framing of the Texas race, not a new development in it.
5. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-19 (9:11 to 11:10)
   Adds Lankford's pushback and turnout argument
   Lankford is asked about Trump's blame-Cornyn line and pushes back, saying it is not Cornyn's fault and that hundreds of millions are already being spent in Texas. He adds the turnout argument: a Republican who stays home is voting for Talarico. Reaction, not a new development.
6. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-25 (26:40 to 29:03)
   Argues candidate quality decides Senate races
   Kraushaar argues candidate quality matters in Senate races, calling Paxton ethically embattled and a lackluster campaigner and saying Texas goes blue only in a perfect storm. He adds that a big Democratic win would not be a mandate, citing Clinton's 1996 reelection after 1994. Analysis, not new reporting.