Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says President Donald Trump made a “colossal mistake” by endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton instead of Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary earlier this year. Tillis makes the comments in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” criticizing Trump’s choice and its implications for the party.
Tillis argues that Trump’s decision puts a Republican-held Senate seat at greater risk. While the reports consistently cite Tillis’s characterization of Trump’s endorsement as a major error, they frame its impact differently: some outlets emphasize Tillis’s broader effort to redirect attention to other races, while another highlights concerns that the Paxton outcome could make it harder for Republicans to retain the seat in the general election.
Across coverage, the key point is that Tillis—who has previously been critical of Trump—publicly disputes the president’s role in the Texas primary by pointing to Paxton’s victory over Cornyn.
