Trump Makes Third Trip to TX in a Month Amid Tight Senate Race

Anderson Cooper (0:02)

Good evening from the newsroom. Tonight, the president is back in Texas for the third time in a month, which says a lot about the worries that Republicans have about their chances there just 27 days from now.

It's yet another stop on what has been an exclusively red state campaign map for him recently, which also speaks loudly about the party's view of the broader battlefield. And because control of the Senate can now depend on states like Texas of all places, the president is back there again tonight, pushing for his candidate, Ken Paxton, whom routinely demeans and who's on newly leaked audio, blaming his own campaign troubles on the president's decision to launch a war against Iran. Listen.

Ken Paxton (0:39)

The war is gas prices, it's diesel.

Over $6 to balance your diesel. I mean, it's, they put money, they made a lot of trucks with these on, to fill in that pension. So I'd say that's probably the biggest problem in that, of course, rather than food prices and everything else.

Anderson Cooper (1:00)

That audio was obtained by Axios. In it, he also calls affordability, quote, by far our biggest problem. Now, the Paxton campaign calls the leaker non-story and says he was just saying what every Texan already knows, adding, quote, President Trump is doing everything he can to bring prices down, and Ken Paxton is going to Washington to help him. What his campaign doesn't mention is that the president has called the affordability issue a hoax. Of course, he routinely dismisses affordability as a made-up word. And instead of openly acknowledging the real price of gas and diesel, he's lately been quoting numbers that sound out of touch with reality because they kind of are.

Donald Trump (1:36)

Once you become a politician, you tend to look, how much is gasoline at this moment in time?

$1.95 and $1.85, right? So I was riding in Iowa, I made a speech there, and I passed the gas station $1.95 a gallon. I passed another station $1.85 a gallon. We'll have it lower than that in a very short period of time.

Anderson Cooper (2:02)

The reality is that today gas is $4.29 a gallon in Iowa. Diesel is at $6.03, and the prices are somewhat lower in Texas. They are nowhere near $1.85.

Voters obviously know this because they have eyes and are reminded of what they're seeing and paying whenever the president says things like that. So you get the Republican candidates distancing themselves from the party leader. Listen to what Texas Republican strategist Rick Tyler told CNN.

Rick Tyler (2:30)

Trump is making it difficult because what he is doing is what the Republicans don't want it to be done.

Every midterm election, to a certain extent, is a referendum. It just is. And if it's going to be a referendum on Trump, the Republicans are going to do poorly.

Anderson Cooper (2:47)

The president, as you might imagine, has a different assessment. He says the rallies he headlines are actually big hits.

Donald Trump (2:54)

Everyone is big. They're all sold out. They have a line that's a mile long or two miles long or something, even long before I get there, even last night.

I think we're helping the Republican Party with the rallies. Yeah. And we're doing almost one a day, which is a lot of work, but I like doing it.

Anderson Cooper (3:12)

Not every Republican does, though. Most notably tonight, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who's in a very tight race against his Democratic opponent, has skipped tonight's rally. Ken Paxton, though, is running far enough behind the Democrat, James Talerico, six points that perhaps he's concluded he has more to gain and less to lose from a presidential visit. Then again, when you listen to some of what the president has been saying about Paxton, even as he's endorsing him, you might wonder about that.

Donald Trump (3:36)

Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses. And I say this, it's so insulting to him, but I might as well say it. You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his look.

Donald Trump (3:46)

He may not dress right.

Donald Trump (3:47)

He may not talk exactly perfectly. And he may not be the best looking guy I've ever seen.

Donald Trump (3:53)

I don't like the way Ken dresses. I don't really like the way Ken talks.

Donald Trump (3:59)

I don't really like the way he looks.

Donald Trump (4:00)

I don't like it.

Donald Trump (4:01)

Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody. And I have to always remember that, because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way?