Trump backs embattled incumbent Ken Paxton over George P. Bush in Texas AG race


Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over his Republican primary challenger, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
Both men had been angling for Trump's backing, but Paxton – an ardent supporter who filed a failed lawsuit challenging Trump's November election loss — won out. In a statement, Trump said Paxton has "my complete and total endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe — and will never let you down!" Paxton is under indictment for securities fraud and being investigated by the FBI for abuse of power.
Bush is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who sparred with Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Despite Trump's digs at his father and other relatives, Bush has been vocal about supporting him, and told CNN last month that "politics is a contact sport. We're at a stage in our state where, you know, we can't let a mean tweet get in the way of doing the right thing."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Paxton's legal woes are a big part of Bush's campaign. When he announced he was running for attorney general, Bush said Paxton "brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office. It's time to go." After Trump made his endorsement on Monday, Bush tweeted, "I'm running for attorney general because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas' top law enforcement official. Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling