Trump Heckled by Protesters at Paxton Texas Rally — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump held a rally at San Antonio's Freeman Coliseum on October 7, 2026, to support embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton, with at least a dozen protesters interrupting him — including one who got close to the stage and prompted Trump to step away from the microphone.
- Trump clarified earlier remarks that appeared to suggest bombing an American city would be 'a small price to pay,' saying instead that Iran might try to hit a U.S. city with a missile: 'Let them hit San Diego, let them in Los Angeles. We're not going to let that happen.'
- Republicans have devoted more than $300 million to Texas elections this cycle — a state the party hadn't planned to spend that heavily on — as low approval ratings, the Iran war, and soaring gas prices threaten the GOP in its most populous reliably red state; the rally marked Trump's third Texas trip in under a month.
- Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, but Democrat James Talarico's fundraising, Trump's sagging numbers, and concerns about Paxton's character have put the race 'squarely in play' for the chamber's majority.
- Gov. Greg Abbott skipped the rally to headline a hospital dedication roughly 330 miles away, prompting the Texas Democratic Party to accuse him of fleeing 'record-high prices driven by Trump's tariffs and war with Iran.'
- Trump spent far more time attacking Talarico — repeatedly calling him 'Tala-freako' — than praising Paxton, and made no mention of a leaked recording in which Paxton lamented the Iran war and rising fuel prices.
Why it matters: With even three-term Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declining to appear alongside Trump just weeks before Election Day, the GOP is visibly hedging in a state it won by 14 points in 2024 — a crack that turns the Paxton race from a hold into a fight and puts a Senate seat last won by the party in 1988 back in play for Democrats.
Ask SkimNews
