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analysis
Now there is resistance even among Republicans.
May 26, 2026, 3:31 p.mMay 26, 2026, 3:31 p.m
Ken Paxton isn’t really a clean slate. The Attorney General of the State of Texas has been indicted, impeached and is also allegedly cheating on his wife. His record of sins is very long. He was accused of defrauding investors, and his own employees reported him to the FBI because he was said to have illegally benefited his donors. Members of his own party, the Grand Old Party, impeached him because of this, but without success.
All of this rubbed off on Paxton, because the Republicans can live with the fact that their leaders don’t care one bit about the law and the constitution. Seen in this light, it is not surprising that Donald Trump is now supporting Paxton in today’s primary election for a Senate seat, leaving out a long-time, respected former senator, John Cornyn.
Kindred spirits: Ken Paxton and Donald Trump.Image: keystone
This time Trump seems to have gone a step too far. Even die-hard supporters of the president, such as Ron Johnson, are outraged. “Someone called this a galactic misstep, and I think they’re right,” the Wisconsin senator said. Meanwhile, Cynthia Lummis, Republican Senator from Wyoming, said she was simply “very sad.”
Republicans also have every reason to be sad. By backing Paxton, Trump has increased the likelihood that Democrats will be able to get a senator from Texas for the first time in decades, and in James Talarico they have a young and charismatic representative who could actually pull it off.
Talarico can only be stopped – if at all – with a money roller. Insiders estimate it will take at least $100 million to get Paxton into the Senate. This money will be missing for Republican candidates in other states.
Paxton’s support was just Trump’s first blow to the GOP’s chest. The second was his bribe fund of around $1.8 billion. From a legal perspective, this fund defies description, and the fact that Trump has not only issued a blanket pardon to the Capitol stormers, but is now also promising them six-figure compensation, is even triggering outrage among Republicans.
Criticizes Trump: Tom Cotton.Image: keystone
Tom Cotton, a very conservative senator from Arkansas, for example, states angrily: “Who thinks this is a good idea? Who decided the timing for this?” Thomas Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, even declares that this is “a reward for punks” and “stupidity on stilts.” However, Tillis is no longer running for re-election and can afford to resist the president.
Trump deals the third blow to his own party with his erratic Iran policy. His latest peace plan, which has since been rejected, is a political catastrophe. Even Ted Cruz, the hardliner from Texas, calls it a terrible mistake because it would “authorize Iran to continue enriching uranium and developing nuclear weapons, as well as controlling the Strait of Hormuz.”
Lindsey Graham, Trump’s official sycophant and warmonger, is also horrified because even if the US armed forces have just carried out a few strikes against Iran, these are more of a symbolic nature. “Nobody believes that Trump wants to start a real war again,” says historian Robert Kagan in “Atlantic,” unequivocally describing the president’s endgame as “surrender.”
The fourth blow is the endless story about the Epstein Files. The Democrats have now discovered the term “Epstein class” and will use it to the full in the election campaign. By declaring in an interview that “I don’t care at all” about the financial situation of Americans, Trump gave them a special pass.
Voted out and still happy: Thomas Massie.Image: keystone
The Democrats can now link two enemy images: the pedophiles and the super-rich. Trump finally told the truth, explains Jim McCovern, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts, in the Financial Times. “The billionaires of the Epstein class have their own interests, and they sign the checks for the election campaign. They’re doing great, but for everyone else in the country the Trump economy is a disaster.”
Trump has managed to antagonize many of his once closest allies. Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost his primary because of Trump, is now railing against the president and his super-rich supporters on Tucker Carlson’s podcast. “These are the people who now have the president’s ear. These are the billionaires, and these are also the people whose names we find in the Epstein Files.” You can also hear similar tones from Marjorie Taylor Greene or from influential podcasters like Joe Rogan and Megyn Kelly.
In addition to all of this, there is growing dissatisfaction with the limitless corruption of the Trump clan and the omnipotence fantasies of the president, who only seems to care about his vanity projects (Ballroom, Triumphal Arch, etc.). The fact that his health is now reminiscent of that of his predecessor and he has to undergo his third medical check doesn’t make things any better. There is therefore much to suggest that even all the gerrymandering in the world, the arbitrary division of electoral districts, and all the dirty tricks will not prevent the Democrats from winning the coming midterm elections.