Appearing at a rally in San Antonio, Texas, alongside President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the crowd in demanding to know where his Senate opponent was hiding.
According to Paxton, who’s running for a Lone Star State Senate seat as a Republican, his opponent, Democrat candidate James Talarico, has been missing from the campaign trail for days.
“Where do you think they hid that little socialist?” Paxton asked. “So I want you to help me because the media hasn’t been really asking, ‘where is he?’ They would be asking where I was after two minutes. So I want you to help me. We’re going to practice something.
“I want a little audience participation,” he continued. “And here’s what we’re going to ask the media. I’m going to do one, two, three, and then you say, ‘where is James Tallarico?’ All right. You got it. OK. One, two, three.
“Where is James Tallarico? Perfect. Maybe we’ll get an answer for that.”
Where are they hiding that little socialist?
@jamestalarico https://t.co/dFxYsg1T9Q
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 7, 2026
Speaking with Fox News, a Talarico representative claimed that the Senate candidate simply has the flu.
“After holding more than 100 public events and shaking tens of thousands of hands, James came down with the flu but will be back on the trail this weekend,” the representative said.
Also speaking at the rally, the president leaned in on reports that Talarico is sick.
“You haven’t seen him in a couple weeks,” Trump said. “I hear the guy’s disappeared. You know where he is? He’s sick, because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.”
The meat remark was in reference to a 2022 video in which Talarico described reducing meat consumption as “existential” for fighting climate change. Ever since the video went viral, Republicans have been portraying the Democrat as an unhinged meat hater.
Trump on the mysterious disappearance of James Talarico: “You haven’t seen him in a couple weeks. I hear the guy has disappeared. You know where he is? He’s SICK, because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.” https://t.co/iPhZ9vxdQz
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 7, 2026
The president later doubled down in a post on the social media platform Truth Social.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, upon information and belief, James TalaFREAKo, who is running for the United States Senate in Texas, is MISSING IN ACTION!” he wrote late Wednesday after the rally. “No one has seen him for an extended period of time.
What do you think of Trump’s remarks about Talarico’s condition?
They’re funny and on point
95% (20 votes)
They’re inappropriate
5% (1 vote)
“Where is he? What is wrong with him?”
“Bad rumors are coming out,” Trump added. “He should immediately report to a Debate Stage against Ken Paxton, who is ready, willing, and able, one of the best Attorney Generals in the Country, and will soon be, hopefully, a United States Senator representing the Great People of Texas!”
Meanwhile, Paxton has launched a new ad bashing Talarico for being missing for reportedly “11 days”:
According to The Hill, Talarico “last appeared at a fundraising event in New York with actor Robert De Niro on Sept. 28.”
Two days later, he participated in a U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum virtually from home. Since then, he’s been MIA.
LOST: James Talarico has been missing for 11 days.
If seen, please return to Robert De Niro. https://t.co/MrmiLVyZRJ
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 7, 2026
“If seen, please return to Robert De Niro,” Paxton mockingly wrote about Talarico on the social media site X.
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