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Trump flexes MAGA muscle in Texas Senate runoff clash between Cornyn and Paxton
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AUSTIN, TX – President Donald Trump has a new target this week as he takes aim at Republican critics — longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.
Trump is targeting Cornyn as «VERY disloyal» as he backs Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in Tuesday’s combustible and expensive runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination in the right-leaning state. The ballot box showdown serves as the latest tests of Trump’s immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.
The winner of the runoff will face off against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas.
The Senate contest is the most high-profile showdown on a ballot that also includes Democratic and Republican runoffs for Texas Attorney General, as well as key primary battles for four U.S. House seats, including a Democratic Party runoff in the 35th Congressional District where one of the two candidates in a social media post proposed converting an ICE detention center into a prison for American supporters of Israel.
TRUMP BACKS MAGA ALLY PAXTON IN TEXAS SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, center, campaigns at a meet and greet in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 22, 2026, days ahead of the runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination. (Luke Travisan/Fox News)
Trump’s targeting of Cornyn comes three weeks after the purging five state senators in Indiana’s primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who five and a half years ago voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial – and one week after defeating vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.
The Texas runoff is also being held one week after Trump endorsed Paxton, after sitting on the sidelines in the race for months.
«Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,» Trump wrote in a social media post last Tuesday.
The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime.
Trump, in backing Paxton, said that «John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.»
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton landed President Donald Trump’s endorsement one week ahead of his runoff election against Republican Sen. John Cornyn for the GOP Senate nomination. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
Pointing to the senator’s past criticism of him, Trump added, «John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.»
Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda.
«President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we’ve worked with him closely for both terms of office,» the senator said.
Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed.
«John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can go back over about a decade and see that he was not for the border wall,» Paxton charged in an interview on Fox News’ «The Big Weekend Show.»
CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME
Paxton also argued that the senator «fought the president’s reelection. He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro-Trump guy. I don’t know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So there is a vast difference between the two of us.»
Cornyn pushed back.
«I don’t know how much more with him I could be than 99.3% of the time,» the senator told Fox News Digital.
«I want him to be successful. I want America to be successful, and I want Republicans to be successful. But you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice, and I think Texans can be pretty independent,» Cornyn added.
Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state senate.
And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing «biblical grounds» based on «recent discoveries» in filing last year to end their marriage.
Cornyn, who is supported by Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has repeatedly argued that if Paxton is the GOP’s nominee, the party will be forced to spend millions of dollars to keep the seat from flipping and that Republicans down-ballot will suffer.
«He’s gotten more and more emboldened as he’s gotten away with all the scandal and mischief that now is very well known, but were he to be the nominee and be exposed to general election voters, especially independents, I think it’s going to be a very rocky time,» the senator predicted.
TRUMP OWNS THE GOP – BUT WILL REPUBLICANS PAY A PRICE IN THE MIDTERMS?
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, the Democratic Party’s nominee, speaks at a campaign rally in Houston on March 2, 2026. (Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)
And pointing to Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising during the first three months of this year, Cornyn said «there will be an incredible tsunami of Democratic funds coming in against Paxton, were he the nominee. Conversely…if I am the nominee…we’ll be able to shoulder the burden pretty much on our own. I won my last general election by 10 points. I think I can do similarly against somebody who’s as far left and radical as James Talarico.»
While Paxton has shifted his ads to target Talarico in the wake of the Trump endorsement, Cornyn and allied groups continue to blast Paxton.
«I don’t think anybody could honestly argue that we haven’t fought hard to make the case here,» Cornyn said of his campaign.
And he emphatically said he’s «worked too long and too hard to help build the Republican Party in Texas, and in the United States Senate, and to keep Texas the envy of the nation when it comes to opportunities and pursuing the American dream, to let that go, to squander it, and let it go without a fight. So I’m still optimistic on the outcome, but obviously it depends on who shows up.»
The other statewide runoff in Texas is for attorney general, in the race to succeed Paxton.
In the expensive GOP showdown, four-term Rep. Chip Roy is battling state Sen. Mayes Middleton, the president of an independent oil and gas company.
State Senator Mayes Middleton, a Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Middleton, who edged Roy in the March primary, has dished out roughly $17 million of his own money to back his campaign. But Roy, a former Texas assistant attorney general and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, received a late surge in fundraising from major backers.
«We’ve gotten the financial support necessary to compete with my self-funder opponent, who’s got his inheritance money that he can just spend,» Roy highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff.
Roy has argued that Middleton’s lack of courtroom experience would make him a poor attorney general.
«Having been the first assistant attorney general makes me ready on day one, but it’s also that I’ve been a prosecutor, I’ve been in court, I’ve sat in front of a judge, stood in front of a judge, argued cases, and he has never done any of those things. And we think those things should matter,» Roy emphasized.
Middleton has pushed back, questioning Roy’s conservative credentials and run ads claiming Roy’s «betrayed MAGA» as he’s pointed to the times the congressman has broken with Trump over policy.
«Chip Roy has someone that has spent a decade fighting the president. He actually said President Trump committed impeachable conduct on the House floor,» Middleton told Fox News Digital. «Instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump, what have I done? I’ve spent 10 years, fighting to defeat the left, which is what matters the most in this race.»
But Roy, responding, said «everyone knows that I’m a longtime defender and supporter of the president’s agenda, of the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I’m also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case. And pointing to Middleton, Roy charged, «MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy the brand.»
Middleton returned fire, arguing «Chip Roy is putting out there that he is a top ally to President Trump when the exact opposite is the case.»
Roy, showcasing his electability, said «I beat Democrats before in a tough race» and that he «knows how to win.»
The winner of the GOP runoff will likely face Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who came close to clinching his party’s nomination in the primary. Johnson is facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.
Also in the spotlight are Democratic and GOP runoffs in the redrawn majority-Latino 35th Congressional District,
Democratic Party leaders are slamming housing activist and sex therapist Maureen Galindo for her Instagram post on imprisoning American Zionists at an ICE detention center. She added that the prison would have a castration facility for pedophiles, which she claimed would likely include «most of the Zionists.
Maureen Galindo speaks at a League of Women Voters meeting in Texas. (Katina Zentz/Getty Images)
She also said that her rival in the runoff, Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason over his support for Israel.
The comments have spurred support for Garcia, who’s running as a moderate. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Texas Democratic Party, Talarico, and even progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have backed Garcia.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against either Republican state Rep. John Lujan or Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas.
In the solidly blue, Houston-based 18th Congressional District, 78-year-old Democratic Rep. Al Green will face off with recently-elected 38-year-old Rep. Christian Menefee, for a seat redrawn last year by Republicans as part of their congressional redistricting push.
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Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson is running against former Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic-dominated, Dallas-based, 33rd Congressional District.
And in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District, a right-tilting seat in the Houston area, Trump-endorsed Army veteran Alex Mealer faces Abbott-endorsed state Rep. Briscoe Cain.
midterm elections, donald trump, republicans, texas, senate elections, elections
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s chances of confirmation were derailed Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a pivotal vote in the Senate.
It’s another chapter in the troubled saga that has followed Blanche since he was tapped to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi and one that boils down to issues among Blanche, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and two key Republicans who control his fate in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are demanding that the DOJ provide explicit, written proposals to modify the settlement deal reached between the IRS and President Donald Trump and his family earlier this year.
TRUMP AG PICK TODD BLANCHE FACES SENATE TEST IN FIRST MAJOR CONFIRMATION FIGHT SINCE GRAHAM’S DEATH
Todd Blanche, nominee for U.S. deputy attorney general, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had hoped a deal could be struck and allow for the confirmation to move forward, eying next week as the major floor vote to formally confirm Blanche as Bondi’s replacement.
«I think that that’s an issue between, right now, the White House and Senators Cornyn and Tillis,» Thune said. «But, yeah, I would encourage them to sit down, which I think they are, and try to come to a resolution there so that the markup can continue tomorrow, and we can get Todd Blanche ready for the floor.»
The DOJ had until 4 p.m. Wednesday to get the lawmakers what they wanted, but the agency fell short, and Blanche’s bumpy carriage ride to confirmation turned into a pumpkin.
Without a guarantee that Cornyn or Tillis would vote to confirm Blanche, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opted to postpone the hearing until a later date.
Their targets are the now-defunct, nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund and the president’s audit immunity. Republicans and Democrats alike railed against the fund, particularly over concerns that the funding would go to people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill.
Trump’s audit immunity has similarly ruffled feathers. Blanche, in his announcement of the settlement deal earlier this year, outlined that, as part of the agreement, the IRS would not be allowed to audit Trump, his family or affiliated companies.
DEMS REJECT TRUMP’S TOP SPY PICK AFTER DEMANDING REPLACEMENT, LEAVING COUNTER-TERROR TOOL IN AIR
Cornyn has proven the most resistant until his demands are met. He’s used his newfound freedom to extract concessions from the Trump administration in recent weeks.
His push for an explicit end to the audit language in the settlement agreement is another such example. The longtime lawmaker, who will exit the Senate at the end of this year after being ousted by the Trump-backed Ken Paxton, was set to meet Blanche Wednesday morning.
But the confab was called off, and Blanche continued making the rounds in the Senate throughout the day, capping off his visit to the Capitol with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He declined to comment to reporters on his way out.
Cornyn said it was «made clear from the outset that we expected some written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his organization.»
«We need to conform the actual document to what Todd Blanche testified under oath as the president’s acting attorney general,» Cornyn said. «We’ve had two meetings scheduled that have now been canceled because they have not been responsive in providing those written documents.»
TRUMP AG PICK HANGS BY A THREAD AS KEY GOP SENATORS REFUSE TO COMMIT
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, departs a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., June 4, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump, when asked about the holdup in the Senate for Blanche, portrayed himself as a president at an arm’s length from the situation and said he heard his attorney general pick was «going through quite nicely.»
«Well, all I can say is Todd Blanche is outstanding. And I thought he’s — I thought it was pretty routine because he’s so good,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. «You just wouldn’t find a better person. So, I don’t know, maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem.»
Tillis made clear he doesn’t «have a beef with DOJ or with Blanche.»
«They’re trying to get it done, but still gotta get it done,» Tillis said.
He also noted that the number of hurdles that getting those kinds of written proposals through was more extensive than meets the eye. For example, Tillis said the actual settlement likely was signed by the president’s lawyer and not Trump himself.
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«So there’s, you know, there’s a circle of people that have to go through the loop,» he said. «And I get that, but, you know, if we can get it done or possibly get him reported out on Tuesday, if they schedule a markup, I would support that if we get the language.»
politics, senate elections, todd blanche, justice department, chuck grassley
El subdirector adjunto del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), Andrew Bailey, visitó Guatemala este 29 de julio para reforzar la cooperación bilateral en seguridad y justicia, en una agenda que incluyó una reunión con el presidente Bernardo Arévalo
De acuerdo con la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, el viaje forma parte de la estrategia de Washington para combatir organizaciones criminales transnacionales y otras amenazas antes de que alcancen territorio estadounidense.
Por su parte, el presidente guatemalteco informó a través de sus redes sociales que el encuentro está orientado a reafirmar el compromiso de ambos países de fortalecer la colaboración frente al crimen transnacional y de respaldar a las instituciones encargadas de la seguridad.
En un video divulgado por la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, Bailey afirmó: “Estoy aquí en la Ciudad de Guatemala para fortalecer la alianza bilateral en materia de seguridad entre Estados Unidos y Guatemala”.
El funcionario estadounidense también vinculó esa cooperación con la línea política del presidente Donald Trump, en la que resalta la prioridad de proteger el territorio estadounidense mediante la desarticulación de organizaciones criminales y la detención de personas que representen una amenaza para la seguridad del país.
“Esto refleja el compromiso del presidente Trump con la política de ‘Estados Unidos primero’ y con la protección de la nación estadounidense, mediante el desmantelamiento de organizaciones criminales y la detención de terroristas antes de que puedan amenazar las fronteras y comunidades de Estados Unidos”, manifestó Bailey en su mensaje.
Andrew Bailey, codirector adjunto del FBI, ofrece un mensaje durante su visita a Guatemala este 29 de julio de 2026. Bailey sostuvo que su presencia buscó fortalecer la alianza bilateral en materia de seguridad entre Estados Unidos y Guatemala.
La Embajada de Estados Unidos señaló que la visita de Bailey se inscribe en la estrategia del Gobierno estadounidense para reforzar el trabajo conjunto con Guatemala contra redes criminales transnacionales. El enfoque, según esa explicación oficial, abarca tanto a esas estructuras como a otras amenazas a la seguridad.
Bailey definió a Guatemala como un “socio confiable y valioso” y sostuvo que la relación bilateral sigue fortaleciéndose sobre la base de intereses compartidos. Esa definición apareció en el video difundido por la sede diplomática durante la jornada.
Arévalo utilizó un tono similar al comunicar su reunión con el funcionario del Buró Federal de Investigaciones. “Guatemala es un socio serio, confiable y comprometido con la seguridad y la justicia. Fue un gusto recibir al señor Andrew Bailey, codirector adjunto del FBI, en una productiva visita a Guatemala”, expresó el mandatario.
La respuesta central del encuentro fue una: Guatemala y Estados Unidos acordaron profundizar la cooperación bilateral en seguridad y justicia para enfrentar amenazas vinculadas al crimen transnacional. Esa fue la definición compartida en los mensajes públicos del presidente guatemalteco y del funcionario estadounidense.
Arévalo afirmó que ambos países reforzarán la colaboración para enfrentar esas amenazas y fortalecer a las instituciones responsables del área. Bailey, por su parte, remarcó que la cooperación busca combatir las redes criminales antes de que lleguen a suelo estadounidense.
“La cooperación y la colaboración se fortalecen para enfrentar juntos las amenazas del crimen transnacional y seguir construyendo instituciones al servicio de nuestros pueblos”, resaltó el mandatario guatemalteco.
Guatemala,FBI,Andrew Bailey,Narcotráfico,Crimen organizado,Estados Unidos
INTERNACIONAL
Arabia Saudita lanza un bombardeo coordinado con Estados Unidos contra milicias proiraníes asentadas en Irak
La guerra en el Golfo se expande en una peligrosa escalada. Aviones de combate estadounidenses y sauditas atacaron en forma conjunta milicias ligadas a Irán y a sus asesores iraníes en Irak, mientras Teherán bombardeó bases militares y refinerías en Jordania.
El ataque cruzado amenaza con agravar aun más el conflicto incorporando a la guerra a países que hasta ahora se mantenían más bien al margen, como los sauditas, iraquíes y jordanos. Asimismo, grupos aliados de Irán en Irak y Yemen, y posiblemente también en Líbano, se sumaron a los combates.
Al principio de la guerra, los ataques de Irán se habían dirigido principalmente contra los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Kuwait y Barhrein. Pero los bombardeos de ayer adquieren otra dimensión, subrayada incluso por los gobiernos de Irak y de Irán, que acusaron a Washington de buscar extender el conflicto cuando fracasaron otra vez las chances de una negociación entre EE.UU. e Irán.
“Les vamos a pegar duro. Van a recibir una paliza”, dijo el presidente Donald Trump según un corresponsal de la cadena Fox News que habló con el mandatario tras el bombardeo iraní sobre bases militares de Washington en Jordania. Esta advertencia sacudió las esperanzas de que un cese de las hostilidades que se mantuvo desde el sábado pudiera permitir que se reanudaran las negociaciones.
Arabia Saudita y Estados Unidos, en un hecho inédito, lanzaron sus ataques sobre los proiraníes en Irak dos días después de que las autoridades sauditas reportaran ataques de drones contra sus instalaciones petroleras. Las nuevas hostilidades dispararon los precios del crudo por temores de que los combates afecten el suministro mundial.
Desde el inicio de la guerra el 28 de febrero contra Irán, Arabia había evitado convertirse en un combatiente abierto. Pero esta semana enfrentó al menos treinta ataques con drones contra sus refinerías petroleras, y la milicia hutí, aliada de Irán en Yemen, afirmó haber atacado un petrolero saudita en el Mar Rojo, otra vía vital para el suministro de energía, el martes. L
La cancillería de Riad declaró que el país no buscaba una escalada, pero que respondería a cualquier agresión. Según informó The New York Times citando fuentes del gobierno de EE.UU., los ataques en causaron la muerte de unos 20 militares y asesores técnicos iraníes.
El primer ministro iraquí, Ali al-Zaidi, calificó la ofensiva estadounidense y saudita como una “agresión inaceptable”. Las Fuerzas de Movilización Popular, una coalición de milicias iraquíes, muchas de las cuales mantienen estrechos vínculos con Irán, declararon que al menos 20 de sus combatientes murieron en los ataques y prometieron una represalia.
Con lo que aparece como un tardío ingreso formal en la guerra, a seis meses del inicio del conflicto, Arabia muestra la difícil situación a la que se enfrenta al responder a ataques sin verse arrastrado a una guerra abierta y total.
Si bien Arabia Saudita ha mantenido durante mucho tiempo relaciones antagónicas con Irán, Riad llevaba años buscando estrechar lazos como la forma más pragmática de gestionar la amenaza que representa Irán. La guerra frustró esos esfuerzos diplomáticos. En represalia por los ataques de EE.UU e Israel de febrero, Irán lanzó miles de misiles y drones contra estados del Golfo Pérsico que albergan bases militares de Washington, incluida Arabia Saudita.
Este mes, el reino también se vio inmerso en un nuevo choque en Yemen con la milicia hutí, respaldada por Irán, la cual se atribuyó varios ataques en territorio saudí y declaró un bloqueo contra los petroleros saudíes en el Mar Rojo, una vía de salida al crudo de Riad ante el bloqueo que atraviesa el estrecho de Ormuz por la presión iraní.
Los analistas señalan que la guerra supone para Riad grandes riesgos para sus planes de convertir el reino en un centro de negocios y turismo. Además tiene un alto costo económico al restringir rutas de exportación de petróleo, su principal fuente de ingresos. Además, a medida que la guerra se prolonga, las relaciones del reino con la Casa Blanca de Trump se han tensado con litigios sobre cómo abordar la seguridad en la región.
Los ataques conjuntos saudí-estadounidenses de ayer marcaron la primera vez que Riad reconoció su participación directa en la ofensiva de EE.UU., aunque Arabia ya había ejecutado ataques encubiertos contra Irán al inicio de la guerra. Según Abdulaziz Alghashian, analista del Gulf International Forum, el reino parece dar un mensaje a sus vecinos luego de meses de reticencia: “Atacar a Arabia Saudita tiene consecuencias”.
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