President Trump is not expected to make an endorsement in the upcoming Texas Senate primary.
According to PunchBowl News, Trump has declined to endorse RINO incumbent Senator John Cornyn over challenger, MAGA favorite, and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been a vocal advocate for Cornyn, who has repeatedly let down his supporters on issues ranging from immigration to gun control.
However, Thune admitted that his efforts to lobby Trump have so far proved unsuccessful.
“We’ve tried,” he told the news outlet. “And the president obviously is not, at this point at least, willing to make an endorsement there.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicates that Trump’s endorsement for John Cornyn is not coming. — Punchbowl News
“We’ve tried. And the president obviously is not, at this point at least, willing to make an endorsement there. So maybe at some point that changes. But as of… pic.twitter.com/d42yOSbmTF
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 15, 2026
“So maybe at some point that changes. But as of right now, they’re gonna, I think, duke it out in the primary.”
Meanwhile, POLITICO reports that Cornyn had personally reached out to Trump to request an endorsement, although his request was rebuffed.
Their report stated:
In Texas, Cornyn this year is on better terms with Trump, who previously called him a “RINO Republican” over his role in helping negotiate bipartisan gun safety legislation during former President Joe Biden’s term.
As the White House sees it, Trump now has three friends in the race, and Cornyn and his challengers — Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt — have leaned into being Trump loyalists throughout the primary, a dynamic that the White House is in no hurry to change.
Cornyn recently asked Trump for his endorsement, the senator told the Houston Chronicle, and Trump told Cornyn that he’s not ready to grant it.
Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak said that Cornyn remains on good terms with the president.
“Senator Cornyn speaks to President Trump regularly and works closely with the White House,” he said.
“He is proud to have voted 99.3% with President Trump while in office.”
According to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, Paxton currently holds a 0.3 percent lead over Cornyn, well within the margin of error.
Rep. Wesley Hunt trails well behind at just 19 percent support.
Ben Kew is a writer and editor. Originally from the UK, he moved to the U.S. to cover Congress for Breitbart News and has since gone on to editorial roles at Human Events, Townhall Media, and Americano Media. He has also written for The Epoch Times, The Western Journal, and The Spectator.
You can email Ben Kew here, and read more of Ben Kew’s articles here.
