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Inside the Senate’s Paxton Panic

After a tense phone call with Majority Leader John Thune, Trump did what many felt he'd wanted to all along.

Ken Paxton
A furious Trump, who is convinced that the Senate is undermining him, proceeded to do what many in his party suspected he wanted to do all along: throw his support behind Paxton, whose politics and demeanor align more closely with his own, regardless of the consequences for either his legislative agenda or the Senate map. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
&
Marianna Sotomayor
May 20, 2026

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President Trump’s endorsement of scandal-plagued Texas attorney general Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn has sent shock waves through the Republican conference. As I wrote yesterday, the move could very well jeopardize Trump’s own legislative agenda—including funding for his White House ballroom—since Cornyn now has little reason to stay loyal to a president actively trying to end his career.