John Cornyn told the whole world Donald Trump's time had passed him by.
That was 2023 – and Cornyn spent three years trying to walk it back.
Today, Trump made sure Cornyn never forgets he said it.
The Endorsement That Changes Everything
President Trump dropped the hammer on Tuesday, giving Ken Paxton his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in the Texas Republican Senate runoff – one week before the May 26 vote.
The timing was deliberate.
Early voting started Monday. Trump waited until Tuesday.
He wanted every Republican in Texas to see this coming before they cast their ballot.
"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas," Trump wrote on Truth Social. On Cornyn, he was equally direct: "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."
https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2056776517666193563?s=20
Pro-Cornyn forces spent $69 million in ads trying to hold this seat.
Trump spent four paragraphs taking it away.
The Comment Cornyn Could Never Escape
In 2023, Cornyn told reporters it was time for Republicans to move past Trump.
"President Trump's time has passed him by," Cornyn said. "I think what's the most important thing for me is that we have a candidate who can actually win."
He eventually endorsed Trump. Voted with him 99% of the time. Proposed renaming a Texas highway after him last week.
None of it was enough.
Trump has a long memory – and the MAGA base doesn't forget a betrayal. Bill Cassidy found that out just three days ago when Trump's endorsement ended his Senate career in Louisiana.
https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2056776628366114881?s=20
Cassidy became the first Republican senator to lose a primary in nearly a decade.
Cornyn is watching that replay in real time.
What Paxton Brings to Washington
This is why Trump is willing to go to war with his own Senate establishment.
Cornyn's allies have been screaming that Paxton is a liability.
Sen. Lindsey Graham warned the race would become "three times more expensive."
Lisa Murkowski called him a candidate who would "struggle mightily in the general."
Trump just stepped over all of it.
Because Paxton brings something Cornyn never could: the willingness to fight.
Paxton survived a 2023 impeachment by the Texas House, a nine-year securities fraud case, and every hit the establishment threw at him.
He came back stronger every time.
That's the fighter Texas Republicans want in Washington.
https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2056835079758922121?s=20
Paxton has also committed to two of Trump's biggest legislative priorities – eliminating the Senate filibuster and passing the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Trump specifically cited both in his endorsement.
Cornyn has been notably quiet on both.
The Stakes in November
Here's what nobody in Washington wants to admit out loud.
The establishment's argument is that Paxton is weaker in a general election against Democrat James Talarico.
Recent polling has the race essentially tied regardless of which Republican emerges.
What that tells you is Texas isn't as safe as it used to be – and a fired-up MAGA base is exactly what Republicans need to protect it.
Talarico called ICE a "secret police force" that should be "torn down."
He donated to a group that wanted to defund Austin's police department.
He urged Biden to use federal buildings for abortion services in red states.
https://twitter.com/JohnCornyn/status/2056781893681467545?s=20
Barack Obama called him "a really talented young man" and appeared with him at UT Austin.
That's who Democrats are running in Texas.
That's who they think can win.
Paxton is now the wall standing between that radical agenda and a seat in the United States Senate.
Trump just made sure every Republican voter in Texas knows whose side he's on.
John Cornyn spent three years trying to prove he was loyal enough.
Turns out he should have started sooner.
Sources:
- "Trump Backs Paxton in Texas Republican Senate Showdown Against Cornyn," Fox News, May 19, 2026.
- "Trump Flexes Endorsement Power for Ken Paxton After Ousting Cassidy, Targeting Massie," CNBC, May 19, 2026.
- "Cornyn's Allies Spent $70 Million in Texas. It Hasn't Stopped Paxton's Lead," MS Now, March 3, 2026.
- "Louisiana Senator Who Voted to Convict Trump Loses Republican Primary," NPR, May 18, 2026.