Trump Tore Into Karl Rove for Trying to Hand Texas to a Democrat Over Cornyn Tears

Karl Rove told Texans he would vote for a Democrat in the Railroad Commissioner race back in September.

Now Trump says Rove and Senator John Cornyn are working just as hard to beat Ken Paxton.

What Trump said about silencing Rove on Fox News is the part nobody is talking about yet.

A Truth Social Post Named Two Republicans by Name

Trump posted late on October 15, 2026, accusing Cornyn and longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove of working to make it harder for Ken Paxton to beat Democrat James Talarico in November.

"If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove," Trump wrote, adding that both men "have ineffectively opposed me for my entire political career."

He went further than a campaign jab. Trump said Rove should not be allowed to air his criticism on Fox News at all.

He also called Talarico "TalaFreako" and a "Radical Left Lunatic," then urged every Republican who had backed Cornyn to get behind Paxton instead.

Republicans Are One Grudge Away From Handing Democrats a Senate Seat

This fight is not inside baseball.

A Fox News poll found real movement toward Talarico, and even Senator Ted Cruz has warned publicly that the Democrat has a genuine shot at flipping the seat.

Talarico is a sitting Texas state representative from the Austin area, not a fringe candidate national Democrats are humoring, and that is exactly why they are treating this race as winnable.

Cornyn lost the primary to Paxton "by a very wide margin," Trump reminded Republicans, and that result is final.

The only question left is whether the establishment GOP voters who backed Cornyn in the primary show up for Paxton in November, or sit on their hands out of spite.

https://twitter.com/SteveCortes/status/2110833835214770604

Karl Rove Is Already Showing Republicans Which Way That Goes

Rove gave Texas a preview of exactly that outcome in September 2026, when he announced he would vote for the Democrat in the Railroad Commissioner race, citing comments from Republican candidate Bo French about demographics that Rove labeled racist.

That same month, Rove criticized Trump's immigration enforcement operations, including ICE activity in cities such as Los Angeles.

Cornyn has a record to answer for too, on the SAVE America Act, the election integrity bill requiring proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote, the kind of basic ballot security conservative voters have demanded for years.

Cornyn co-sponsored it and voted for it, then turned around and called further efforts to pass it unrealistic, opposed canceling the August recess to push it through, and told reporters it was "not gonna happen."

Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek was among the first to post Trump's attack, and it tore through Texas political circles within the hour.

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A Grudge Three Weeks From an Election Republicans Cannot Lose

Cornyn lost a primary fair and square, and plenty of politicians take that loss, make a show of unity, and go campaign for the nominee who beat them.

Rove had every chance to do the same after September and chose a different lane instead.

A Senate majority can turn on a single seat, and right now two Republicans with wounded pride are doing more for Talarico's chances than anything the Democrat has managed on his own.

Trump just said out loud what plenty of Texas Republicans have been grumbling about privately for weeks.

Sources:

• Rusty Weiss, "Trump Goes Scorched Earth: Cornyn and His 'Liddle Buddy' Karl Rove Trying to Hand TX to a Democrat," RedState, October 16, 2026.
• Fox News, "The Texas Voters Who Could Help Talarico Pull Off a Historic Upset," Fox News, 2026.
• Legis1, "Texas 2026 Senate Primary Heads to Runoff as Trump Teases Endorsement," Legis1, 2026.
• RealClearPolling, "Cornyn Trails Paxton in Early 2026 Texas Senate Primary Polls," RealClearPolling, 2026.