The facts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate, was recorded at a closed‑door fundraising event saying, “It’s not tariffs … it’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” linking rising fuel costs to Donald Trump’s Iran war. He added that when diesel tops $6 per gallon, “people are feeling the pinch.” Paxton said affordability is Republicans’ “biggest problem” heading into the midterms and noted that “so many factors in this federal race are uncontrollable.” A spokesperson for his campaign called the comments a “non‑story,” insisting gas and diesel prices are high but Trump is working to lower them. Associated Press/NORC polling shows 65 % of respondents blame Trump’s policies for higher costs, and Democrats lead in many competitive races, including Paxton’s. Earlier leaks reported Paxton feeling little control over his campaign messaging and saying Trump’s midterm convention hurt his numbers.
Our take
Ken Paxton, the greasy‑haired, indictment‑dodging Texas attorney general, finally let his guard down in a sound‑proof room full of wealthy donors. He admitted that Donald Trump’s Iran war and the resulting surge in fuel prices are literally dragging his Senate campaign into the mud. “It’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” he said, as if reciting a grocery list of his own demise. The GOP’s “biggest problem” isn’t a vague abstract - it’s a concrete, $6‑plus‑a‑gallon diesel bill that hits everyday Texans in the wallet and the gut. Yet his campaign’s spin department waved a hand and called the whole thing a “non‑story,” insisting Trump is somehow pulling the levers to bring prices down. That’s the same line they’ve been using while the Associated Press/NORC poll shows 65 % of Americans already blame Trump for higher costs and give Democrats a clear edge in the race. Paxton’s private grumbling isn’t new; he’s previously complained about outside forces in Washington dictating his messaging and lamented that Trump’s midterm convention “dropped” his numbers. The pattern is unmistakable: a candidate whispers the truth in a closed room, then his team slaps a glossy press release on it, hoping the public won’t notice the contradiction. The result is a political equivalent of a leaky oil tanker - every new leak just adds to the slick that’s already choking the GOP’s credibility. In a climate where voters are already fed up, Paxton’s confession is less a confession and more a billboard advertising his own irrelevance. The only thing “uncontrollable” about this saga is the endless stream of recordings that keep exposing the party’s own self‑inflicted wounds. If Paxton wants to stop the fire, he needs more than a “non‑story” spin; he needs to stop selling matches to a gasoline‑soaked crowd. Fuck it, he should just walk away before the next leak burns the whole campaign down.
