Trump endorses Paxton in Texas and attacks Kentucky’s Massie again as six states vote in primaries – US politics live
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/may/19/donald-trump-primaries-midterms-republicans-kentucky-thomas-massie-pennsylvania-georgia-alabama-oregon-idaho-latest-news-updates
Trump endorses Paxton in Texas and attacks Kentucky’s Massie again as six states vote in primaries – US politics live
Contest seen as latest test of president’s grip on GOP as he endorses hardline ally over veteran senator for senate race in Texas
Tue 19 May 2026 12.53 EDT
Trump endorses hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in critical Texas US Senate race runoff
And right on time, Donald Trump has endorsed hardliner Ken Paxton in his primary challenge to veteran Republican US senator John Cornyn, boosting the Texas attorney general’s chances of securing his party’s nomination for a critical Texas race in November’s midterm elections.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social announcing the endorsement, Trump called Paxton “a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.”
I know Ken well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a WINNER! Ken is a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, something which polls at 87%, including Dumocrats, and yet can’t seem to get approved. Perhaps Ken can help move these important elements of Government forward because with the Filibuster, as an example, the Democrats will terminate it on their First Day in Office, giving us two extra States, D.C. and Puerto Rico, and a greatly enlarged Supreme Court of the United States, probably going with their Dream Number of 21 Justices from the 9 that we currently have — And these new Justices will be Radical Left Lunatics! Two years ago, our Country was DEAD — Now we have the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World — And I want to keep it that way. Ken Paxton will help me do that, MAKING AMERICA BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!
He will tirelessly fight to continue the Great Growth of our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations (I just delivered the Largest Tax and Regulation Cuts in American History!), and Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Champion Texas Oil & Gas, Advocate for our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote School Choice, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.
Scandal-scarred Paxton faces Cornyn, an old guard Republican, in a 26 May runoff after neither secured a majority in their three-way March primary election. Both candidates had tried to position themselves as closely to Trump as possible, but some Republican leaders had worried that Paxton could endanger a typically safe seat.
In his endorsement announcement, Trump said Cornyn was “a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
“John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself,” he added.
Trump in March said he would ask the candidate he did not endorse to drop out of the race, which has been one of the nation’s costliest US Senate primary contests.
The victor of the runoff will face off against Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian who has explicitly appealed to independents and moderates in a state that has long been dominated by Republicans.
- Trump endorses hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in critical Texas US Senate race runoff
- Trump calls ballroom his 'gift' to the country and says it will 'shield' all of Washington DC
- Donald Trump says 'Cuba is calling us' and that US could reach diplomatic deal with Cuba
- Trump announces he will be endorsing candidate for Texas senate race today
- Hegseth breaks tradition to share stage with Massie rival Gallrein
- Voters in six states head to polls with all eyes on Kentucky primary race
Ken Paxton said in a post on X that he was “incredibly honored” to have received Donald Trump’s endorsement.
No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!
Trump endorses hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in critical Texas US Senate race runoff
And right on time, Donald Trump has endorsed hardliner Ken Paxton in his primary challenge to veteran Republican US senator John Cornyn, boosting the Texas attorney general’s chances of securing his party’s nomination for a critical Texas race in November’s midterm elections.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social announcing the endorsement, Trump called Paxton “a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.”
I know Ken well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a WINNER! Ken is a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, something which polls at 87%, including Dumocrats, and yet can’t seem to get approved. Perhaps Ken can help move these important elements of Government forward because with the Filibuster, as an example, the Democrats will terminate it on their First Day in Office, giving us two extra States, D.C. and Puerto Rico, and a greatly enlarged Supreme Court of the United States, probably going with their Dream Number of 21 Justices from the 9 that we currently have — And these new Justices will be Radical Left Lunatics! Two years ago, our Country was DEAD — Now we have the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World — And I want to keep it that way. Ken Paxton will help me do that, MAKING AMERICA BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!
He will tirelessly fight to continue the Great Growth of our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations (I just delivered the Largest Tax and Regulation Cuts in American History!), and Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Champion Texas Oil & Gas, Advocate for our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote School Choice, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.
Scandal-scarred Paxton faces Cornyn, an old guard Republican, in a 26 May runoff after neither secured a majority in their three-way March primary election. Both candidates had tried to position themselves as closely to Trump as possible, but some Republican leaders had worried that Paxton could endanger a typically safe seat.
In his endorsement announcement, Trump said Cornyn was “a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
“John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself,” he added.
Trump in March said he would ask the candidate he did not endorse to drop out of the race, which has been one of the nation’s costliest US Senate primary contests.
The victor of the runoff will face off against Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian who has explicitly appealed to independents and moderates in a state that has long been dominated by Republicans.
The president also said he will announce his endorsement in the heated Republican Senate runoff contest in Texas between US senator John Cornyn and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, this afternoon.
Going to make an endorsement around 12:30-1 o’clock. I hope you find it good.
“I’ve pretty much always known who I was going to endorse,” Trump said, adding, “I think it’s a good time” to do so.
Trump calls ballroom his 'gift' to the country and says it will 'shield' all of Washington DC
Trump also spoke in detail about the security of his proposed White House ballroom, calling it his “gift” to the country, as dozens of workers in safety vests hammered, welded and moved materials behind him.
The ballroom site is still open-air and, per the press pool reporter, the lowest portion of the construction site appeared to be approximately three stories deep.
He said the construction began six stories underground. The ballroom has a drone-proof roof and it will have a drone port on the roof where unlimited drones can land, he said, acting as a “shield” to protect the White House campus.
The roof will have “the greatest drone empire that you’ve ever seen and it’s going to protect Washington”, he said, adding that the ballroom was a social and security gift for future presidents – and the country.
When this opens, I’ll be here for a very short period of time. This is really being built for other presidents. This is my gift to the United States of America.
Trump said the ballroom project was within the proposed budget and timeline and the only thing they have changed from the start is that the size of the building has doubled.
This is a shield that protects everything that’s inside, everything that’s on top.
Trump also spoke about the prayer rally held in Washington DC Sunday, describing it as a “beautiful day”.
“I think religion is very important for a country,” he said. “This country was built largely on religion.”
Religion is making a comeback, the president said, claiming that churches are fuller today than they were three years ago.
“Christianity, it’s a great thing for our country,” he said. “I mean, so many of the things that we we’ve done, the successes that we’ve had have been based on Christianity and religions.”
Donald Trump says 'Cuba is calling us' and that US could reach diplomatic deal with Cuba
Trump said he feels confident that the US could reach a diplomatic deal with Cuba, and that he wants to help the Cuban people.
“Look, Cuba is calling us. They need help, but Cuba is a failed nation. Cuba needs help, and we’ll do that,” he said.
“I am very prone toward the Cuban Americans. They’re incredible people. I want to help them now. They have family members in Cuba. They’ve been treated very, very badly.”
He said Cuba’s had a tough regime and now the country needs help and the US is ready to help.
Trump told reporters he is giving Iran until the weekend or early next week, to make a deal to end the war.
He said that yesterday he was within an hour of deciding to resume bombing Iran but that his negotiators had reported progress in talks.
Trump said:
I never tell anybody when. But they knew that we were very close. I would say we were. I was an hour away from making the decision to go today, and we would probably not be talking about a beautiful ballroom today. We’d be talking about that.
I had made the decision, so they called up. They had heard I made the decision. They said, sir, could you give us a couple of more days because we think they’re being reasonable.
He added:
Well, I mean, I’m saying 2 or 3 days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday something. Maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.
Trump announces he will be endorsing candidate for Texas senate race today
The president held an impromptu news conference against the backdrop of the White House’s proposed ballroom’s construction Monday morning. He spoke about the ballroom, Iran, Cuba, the Kentucky congressional race, and the new “reflecting lake”, which he wants to inaugurate before July 4.
While showing reporters how the construction of the ballroom was coming along, he said: “This is all my money and donor’s money. This is tax free.”
“It goes down deep and it’s titanium, which is the strongest of all of the metals, much stronger than steel,” Trump said, describing that the ballroom was a gift from him to the country. “Take as an example what happened a couple of weeks ago at the White House correspondents’ dinner could not happen here.”
Trump answered questions about US foreign policy related to Cuba, while still holding a large photo of what the constructed ballroom would look like.
“Look, Cuba is calling us,” he said. “They need help. Cuba is a failed nation.”
While speaking about Iran, amid loud noises of what sound like hammers and chisels, Trump said he agreed to give Iran “maybe until early next week” to reach a deal with the US.
“I won’t let the world be blown up on my watch,” he said while talking about Iran’s nuclear program.
After answering a few questions about Massie, the Republican candidate
standing against the Trump-endorsed candidate in Kentucky, Trump again
began speaking about the ballroom and how it would change the face of
the White House.
On Massie, Trump said he’s “the worst congressman,” and “not even Republican.”
Trump said he would be endorsing a candidate for the senate race in Texas in the afternoon today.
“There are those that say whoever I endorse will win,” he said. “But I don’t like to say that, I don’t like to brag.”
In Oregon, the most closely watched race may be its gubernatorial primary, where Democratic governor Tina Kotek is vying for a second term amid lackluster approval ratings.
Nine Democrats have filed to run against her, while 14 Republicans are standing in their primary. Among them is Chris Dudley, a former NBA player who won nearly 48% of the vote when he made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2010, Christine Drazan, a state senator, state representative Ed Diehl and Danielle Bethell, a county commissioner.
And in Idaho, the GOP is expected to once against sweep its House and Senate seats this year. Governor Brad Little is vying for a third term in office against nine primary challengers, but has outraised all of them. The situation is the same for senator Jim Risch, who has three primary challengers but far more cash than any of them, and viewed as unlikely to lose either his primary, or the general election.
Voters in Alabama will also come out to pick their candidates today. New congressional maps in the state have cost Democrats a seat in the House of Representatives.
The primary schedule for House districts was rearranged, and thus voters today will nominate candidates for only three of Alabama’s seven House districts, with primaries for the rest set for August.
The state is heavily Republican, and the most closely watched race is the gubernatorial election to replace Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. US senator Tommy Tuberville is the frontrunner in the Republican primary, while former senator Doug Jones is expected to take the Democratic nomination.
Congressman Barry Moore is the leading Republican to replace Tuberville in the Senate, but faces six other candidates in the primary. Trump has endorsed Tuberville and Moore.
Pennsylvania looms larges in both party’s aspirations for the midterm elections, with Democrats hoping to retake two swing House districts that they lost in 2024, and oust Republicans from two others.
Democratic primary voters in the seventh congressional district around Allentown will choose between firefighter’s union leader Bob Brooks, who has the support of the party’s establishment, Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, Lamont McClure, a former county executive, and Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to US senator Bob Casey. The winner will take on Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who won his seat from a Democrat two years ago.
In the eighth congressional district in the state’s north-eastern corner, mayor of Scranton Paige Cognetti faces no major challengers in her bid to oust Republican Rob Bresnahan Jr, who also flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2024.
In the Harrisburg-centered 10th district, county commissioner Justin Douglas is vying for the Democratic nomination against former broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson to take on incumbent Republican congressman Scott Perry.
Democrats also hope to oust moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick from the first district in suburban Philadelphia, and primary voters will weigh in on whether county commissioner Bob Harvie or former congressional science advisor Lucia Simonelli is a better bet.
And while there’s no doubt a Democrat will represent the third congressional district in Philadelphia, voters will first have to choose from three ideologically distinct candidates to replace retiring representative Dwight Evans.
While the most watched race is in Kentucky, the primary races in Georgia – one for the seat of a senator and another for the governor – have also gathered a lot of interest.
In Georgia, Republican voters will choose who will face off incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, both congressmen, and Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee, are three of the main contenders.
So far, the president has not endorsed anybody. Brian Kemp, the outgoing Republican governor, has endorsed Dooley.
Kemp also needs to be replaced as the governor. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, attorney general Chris Carr, healthcare executive Rick Jackson and lieutenant governor Burt Jones are among the Republican candidates. Jones has Trump’s endorsement.
From the Democrats, those vying for the governor’s seat include former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who served as lieutenant governor, state representative Derrick Jackson, former state senator Jason Esteves and former county CEO and state representative Mike Thurmond.
Police were investigating a shooting in the US state of California as a hate crime on Tuesday after a pair of teenage gunmen killed three people at a mosque complex.
Tearful women emerged from a center set up to reunite families caught up in the shooting, and yellow police tape blocked access to the Islamic Center of San Diego, where the victims were found on Monday, AFP reported.
Police said emergency response teams found the victims, all men, outside the sprawling complex, before later finding the shooters, aged 17 and 18, dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The US government has said it will increase the number of white South Africans it admits as refugees this year from about 7,500 to 17,500, claiming that “unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation.”
Since starting his second term in office last year, Donald Trump has repeatedly made false claims that white Afrikaners are racially targeted and face a “white genocide”, which South Africa’s government has furiously rebutted.
His administration also cut aid to South Africa, boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg last year and disinvited South Africa from this year’s G20, which will be held at one of Trump’s resorts in Miami.
The US began admitting white South Africans as refugees in May 2025, while suspending the refugee settlement programme for people fleeing war and persecution in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. In the year ending in September 2024, the last full fiscal year before Trump took office, the US admitted more than 100,000 refugees.
On Monday, the US state department sent Congress an emergency notice, stating that it would take up to 17,500 Afrikaners as refugees in the year ending in September. In October, the government had said it would admit just 7,500 refugees in total, mainly white South Africans.
Hegseth breaks tradition to share stage with Massie rival Gallrein
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth visited Kentucky on Monday to support Thomas Massie’s rival Ed Gallrein in a significant a break from tradition.
Hegseth said he was speaking “as a private citizen” and that Gallrein is a “warfighter”.
“President Trump told me, when he first offered me this job, he said, ‘Pete, you’re gonna have to be tough as shit,’” Hegseth said.
“But that’s also what Ed represents, a warfighter, a man forged through service.”
“I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran here to support Navy Seal Ed Gallrein,” he added.
“President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party, he needs people willing to help him win to vote with him when it matters the most.”
Voters in six states head to polls with all eyes on Kentucky primary race
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Voters will head to the polls in primaries across six states today, with the contest in Kentucky seen as a test of Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican party.
Trump launched a tirade against the state’s congressman Thomas Massie over the weekend as he looks to remove him from office.
Massie is one of very few senior Republicans who has dared to defy Trump, with the president calling him the “worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country”. He went on to call on Kentucky voters to “vote the bum out on Tuesday” on social media.
Massie has been a consistent thorn in Trump’s side, voting against his signature tax and spending cuts bill, helping to force the justice department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and insisting on congressional oversight over the military actions in Venezuela and Iran. Now he faces a bruising primary against his Trump-endorsed challenger, Ed Gallrein.
Republican voters in Kentucky will also choose their candidate to replace Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader who is retiring. The frontrunners to succeed McConnell are congressman Andy Barr and former state attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron.
Among Democrats, Charles Booker and Amy McGrath, who lost Senate races in the state in 2022 and 2020, respectively, are vying for their party’s nomination once again.
Meanwhile, voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho will also head to the polls to select candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
In other developments:
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Police are investigating a deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego as a hate crime, after three people were killed and two dead suspects were identified near the scene. Democratic leaders from across the country issued statements in the wake of the shooting calling out Islamophobia and advocating for stricter gun laws.
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At a healthcare affordability event, Donald Trump announced that his website TrumpRx.gov will now include a catalog of generic drugs. Trump touted the move as “increasing the number of drugs available on TrumpRx by nearly seven times, adding over 600 affordable generics to the website”.
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Trump moved to dismiss a $10bn lawsuit against the Interal Revenue Service and his administration created a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate his allies for supposed persecution by the government. Democrats harshly criticized the settlement, saying it amounts to the creation of a “slush fund” for the president’s allies.
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An effort to reshape South Carolina’s congressional districts got its first full airing Monday in the state House. Lawmakers launched a lengthy discussion over the consequences of acceding to Trump’s calls for a US House map that could yield a clean sweep for Republicans.
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Trump also said he is requesting the attorney general and Justice Department investigate mail-in voting in Maryland. In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that Maryland had “sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots” and blamed “the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore”, a Democrat, who “allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win”.
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Nancy Pelosi has endorsed San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan in the race to fill the seat Pelosi will vacate at the end of her term.
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The Trump administration has proposed allowing up to 17,500 white South Africans to enter the United States as refugees, beginning in the new fiscal year, CNN reports, citing an emergency determination letter sent to Congress that it obtained.
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