President Trump brought his comedy routine to Texas on Thursday — and James Talarico was the punchline. Speaking at the Peterbilt Motors plant in Denton, Trump trolled the Democratic Senate nominee over his diet.
"You got a freako," Trump said, claiming Talarico eats barbecue for the cameras, then ducks behind the tent to throw it up. "He doesn't eat meat. He's a vegan, and vegans, you know what a vegan is, vegans don't do well in Texas," Trump added.
Talarico insists he's no vegan. "I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment," the Austin state representative says. The attack traces to a 2022 fundraiser where Talarico declared his state-house campaign a "non-meat campaign" for climate reasons — footage Republicans have replayed ever since.
Trump also used the stop to boost Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who beat four-term Sen. John Cornyn for the GOP nomination. "We got to get this guy elected," Trump said, though his endorsement has been notably measured amid establishment anxiety over Paxton's legal baggage.
Texas hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but both parties are treating this as a marquee 2026 battle.
What to watch next: the November 3 general election — and whether the "Tofu Talarico" line sticks or backfires.