Former Texas Sen. John Cornyn is warning that President Donald Trump could face political trouble ahead after backing Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican Senate primary that ended Cornyn’s decades-long career in Washington.
According to Fox News, during an interview with The New York Times, Cornyn said he believes Republicans could suffer major setbacks in the upcoming midterm elections, creating problems for Trump during the final years of his presidency.
Cornyn lost the Texas Republican Senate primary runoff to Paxton last month in a decisive defeat. The longtime senator had represented Texas in the Senate since 2002.
Trump endorsed Paxton just days before the May 26 runoff election, after months of speculation about whether he would stay neutral in the race.
“I had really thought that we’d gone on so long with no endorsement that he was just going to stay out of it,” Cornyn said. “But he couldn’t resist.”
Cornyn suggested Trump’s decision sent a broader message to Republican officeholders.
“If he would do that to me, he would do that to anybody,” Cornyn said. “There’s never going to be good enough for him, other than 100 percent, you know, slavish adherence to whatever he wants. But obviously that’s not what the senator’s role is supposed to be, especially in terms of checks ansaidd balances.”
Following Paxton’s victory, Trump praised both men in a Truth Social post, calling Cornyn a friend while expressing confidence in Paxton’s future in the Senate.
“Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all,” Trump wrote.
Cornyn, however, appeared skeptical of the president’s praise.
“If that’s the way friends treat you, you wonder about his enemies,” he told the Times.
The former senator also argued that Trump’s decision could have consequences beyond Texas, predicting it will make future elections more difficult and expensive for Republicans.
“It’s going to make things harder, certainly more expensive in Texas, and make it harder around the country,” Cornyn said.
He added that he believes Trump will eventually regret the political fallout.
“I don’t say that with any sort of desire for vengeance; I just think that’s the way it’s going to be,” Cornyn said. “He’s going to have the most miserable two years of his life in the last two years of his term, I think, because I think November is going to be a disaster.”
Cornyn’s remarks come as Republicans continue preparing for the next election cycle while assessing the impact of one of the party’s most closely watched primary battles.
