WASHINGTON, May 30, 2026 — President Donald Trump labeled Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico “transgender” in a Fox News interview with Lara Trump and called him a “disaster candidate,” predicting that Republican nominee Ken Paxton would “absolutely just destroy him” in November’s general election — even though Talarico is cisgender and not transgender.
“This transgender, this guy running in Texas — he says there are six genders,” Trump said on My View with Lara Trump, set to air Saturday night on Fox News. “He wears a mask all the time, you know. He’s a disaster candidate, I’ll tell you. I think Ken Paxton’s gonna absolutely just destroy him.”
Trump also framed his remarks within a broader election strategy, saying: “I like to bring it up just before the elections ’cause they won’t change men playing in women’s sports.”
Talarico Is Not Transgender
Talarico, a former Texas state representative and Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, is cisgender and identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally. He is in a relationship with a woman. Trump’s use of “transgender” as a descriptor follows an identical attack by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who posted on X after Talarico won his Democratic primary that Democrats had nominated “their first transgender Senate candidate” — a claim that was immediately and widely noted as factually false.
The attack appears to be a deliberate rhetorical strategy rather than a factual claim — one that Miller, Trump, and Paxton have each deployed in the opening days of the general election campaign.
Where the ‘Six Genders’ Comment Comes From
Trump’s “six genders” line refers to a statement Talarico made in 2021 during a Texas Legislature debate on a bill targeting transgender athletes, in which he said: “Modern science recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes — in fact, there are six.” Republicans have used the quote extensively as an attack line ever since.
Talarico acknowledged this week that some of his past comments on cultural issues “missed the mark,” saying he had been too focused on making ideological points rather than connecting with ordinary voters. “I think I was trying to win the argument instead of winning the hearts of Texans,” he told MeidasTouch.
Paxton’s Parallel Attack
Trump’s mockery of Talarico echoes attacks already underway from Paxton, who won the Republican Senate primary runoff Tuesday night over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. In his victory speech, Paxton rattled off a series of nicknames for his general election opponent. “Some people know him as tofu Talarico. Some people call him six-gender Jimmy. I’ve even heard some people call him James Talafreako,” Paxton told supporters. “And others refer to him simply as Low-T Talarico.”
Paxton’s first general election advertisement accuses Talarico of being “too low-T for Texas” — a reference to testosterone levels frequently used as an insult in online manosphere culture. The ad ends with an image of Talarico next to the words “Radical Talarico: too low-T for Texas.”
Trump had already posted on Truth Social after Paxton’s primary win that Talarico “may be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen,” listing his alleged positions including being “WEAK ON CRIME,” believing in “6 genders,” being “insulting to Jesus Christ,” and being “a Vegan who dislikes meat.”
The Race’s Shifting Landscape
Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, but the Paxton-Talarico race has drawn national attention as one of November’s most competitive Senate contests. Following Paxton’s primary win, the Cook Political Report updated its assessment of the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” — a notable shift that reflects Talarico’s record-setting fundraising and Paxton’s history of legal and political controversy.
Paxton was impeached by the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives in 2023 on charges of bribery, abuse of office, and obstruction of justice. He was subsequently acquitted by the Texas Senate. He also reached a $3.3 million settlement with former employees who had accused him of bribery and abuse of power — a settlement paid by Texas taxpayers rather than Paxton himself.
Talarico, a former middle school teacher and seminarian, won the Democratic primary in March 2026, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He has positioned himself as a new generation of Texas Democrat capable of competing statewide by focusing on economic issues while acknowledging that some of his past cultural messaging was counterproductive.
Trump’s Election Strategy Admission
Perhaps the most notable element of Trump’s Fox News remarks was his candid acknowledgment that transgender issues are a deliberate pre-election tactic. “I hate to bring it up. I like to bring it up just before the elections,” Trump said — suggesting the timing of such rhetoric is calculated rather than incidental.
The comment drew immediate attention from Democrats, who argued it amounted to an admission that the administration’s focus on transgender issues is politically rather than policy driven. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remark.
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