KAKISTOCRACY (noun) — Government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous people.

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Trump Meets With Convicted Election Official to Discuss “The Plans” as Republicans Face Midterm Bloodbath — article image

October 7, 2026

Trump Meets With Convicted Election Official to Discuss “The Plans” as Republicans Face Midterm Bloodbath

Trump's Approval Rating Hits Record Low as Voters Sour on His Presidency — article image

October 7, 2026

Trump's Approval Rating Hits Record Low as Voters Sour on His Presidency

Texas Wasn't Supposed to Be Competitive. Now Ken Paxton Is Trailing and Admits He Doesn't Control His Own Campaign. — article image

October 7, 2026

Texas Wasn't Supposed to Be Competitive. Now Ken Paxton Is Trailing and Admits He Doesn't Control His Own Campaign.

Democrats Lead in Three Republican-Held Senate Seats as 2026 Map Expands Deep Into Trump Country — article image

October 6, 2026

Democrats Lead in Three Republican-Held Senate Seats as 2026 Map Expands Deep Into Trump Country

JD Vance Warns Democrats Will Make Energy Prices ‘Skyrocket.’ Has He Looked at a Gas Station Lately? — article image

October 5, 2026

JD Vance Warns Democrats Will Make Energy Prices ‘Skyrocket.’ Has He Looked at a Gas Station Lately?

Trump's Poll Numbers Collapse as Americans Blame Him for High Prices — article image

October 5, 2026

Trump's Poll Numbers Collapse as Americans Blame Him for High Prices

Steve Hilton Is Losing Badly, So His Campaign Is Getting Weird — article image

October 5, 2026

Steve Hilton Is Losing Badly, So His Campaign Is Getting Weird

Trump Underwater in 39 States as Midterm Elections Approach — article image

October 4, 2026

Trump Underwater in 39 States as Midterm Elections Approach

How Is That Possible?’ Fox Host Stunned as Democrat Leads Texas Senate Poll — article image

October 4, 2026

How Is That Possible?’ Fox Host Stunned as Democrat Leads Texas Senate Poll

# Leaked Recording Exposes Republican Anxiety Over Trump Ahead of Midterms **October 3, 2026** For years, Republican candidates have publicly embraced Donald Trump, sought his endorsement and competed to demonstrate their loyalty to the president. But a leaked recording from Texas offers a glimpse of a very different conversation taking place behind closed doors. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, a longtime Trump ally and a candidate whose primary victory was aided by Trump's endorsement—was secretly recorded telling donors that Republicans' polling numbers fell after Trump's highly publicized midterm convention in Dallas. The gathering was specifically designed to help Republican candidates. According to Paxton, it did the opposite. "So to be honest with you, the numbers—when we did that convention—it dropped our numbers," Paxton said on the recording. Then he added: **"Everybody's numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good."** For Republicans approaching a difficult midterm election, those may be some of the most revealing words spoken during the campaign. ## A Private Conversation Republicans Weren't Supposed to Hear The recording reportedly came from a private gathering of conservative donors and lobbyists. An unidentified person can be heard asking Paxton: "Do you feel like he's a little bit of a drag?" There is an important qualification. The audio does not clearly establish whom the questioner meant by "he." It would therefore go beyond the evidence to claim that Paxton explicitly called Trump himself a political drag. But Paxton's response immediately turned to Trump's Dallas convention and its effect on Republican polling. "When we did that convention," Paxton said, "it dropped our numbers." And not merely his own. "Everybody's numbers dropped." The New York Times reported that attendees corroborated Paxton's presence and comments. Reuters reported on the recording but said it had not independently authenticated the audio. Paxton's campaign has attacked the story. Senior adviser Nick Maddux called it "manipulated nonsense" and argued that the campaign's internal polling showed Paxton leading Democratic nominee James Talarico. The campaign has not publicly demonstrated that Paxton's quoted remarks themselves were digitally altered. ## The Convention Was Supposed to Help Republicans That makes Paxton's assessment particularly striking. Trump's two-night Republican midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas was created to energize Republican voters heading into November. It was centered overwhelmingly around Trump. His image appeared throughout the arena. Speakers repeatedly praised his presidency. Trump himself delivered a lengthy address and urged supporters to approach the midterms as though he personally were on the ballot. The president later described the event as an enormous success. But the visual picture was more complicated. Despite Trump's descriptions of a packed event, news organizations documented thousands of empty seats, including large portions of the arena's upper level. And now one of the Republican candidates the convention was intended to help has privately said that polling declined afterward. ## Paxton Isn't a Never-Trumper That distinction matters. This isn't criticism coming from a retiring Republican senator, a former Trump official promoting a book or a moderate Republican who broke with the MAGA movement years ago. This is Ken Paxton. Trump endorsed Paxton against longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton defeated the four-term senator and became the Republican nominee. Trump's political operation has subsequently invested heavily in helping Paxton win the general election. Paxton has spent years closely aligned with Trump and the MAGA movement. That's precisely why his private comments are notable. Publicly, Trump remains enormously influential inside the Republican Party. Privately, one of his closest political allies appears concerned that a major Trump-centered campaign event hurt Republican candidates. ## Trump Says the Convention Was ‘Amazing’ Trump offered a completely different assessment when reporters asked him about Paxton's remarks. The president said he hadn't heard about the comments. "But I can tell you that the convention was amazing," Trump responded. Trump pointed to television viewership and argued that the event helped other Republican candidates. Vice President JD Vance similarly dismissed the controversy, saying he wasn't particularly concerned about something Paxton said during an off-the-record conversation with a donor. The White House's message was straightforward: The convention was successful. Paxton's private assessment was equally straightforward: Their numbers went down. Both statements cannot independently establish what actually caused any movement in polling. Changes in voter support can result from numerous events, and the leaked recording itself doesn't prove the Dallas convention caused Republican numbers to fall. But it does establish something politically significant: **Paxton believed it did.** ## Texas Wasn't Supposed to Be This Difficult The anxiety surrounding Paxton's campaign is understandable. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat statewide since 1994. Trump carried the state comfortably in 2024. Yet Paxton is now locked in a competitive Senate contest with Democrat James Talarico. Recent independent polls have shown Talarico competitive with or ahead of Paxton, although surveys differ and Paxton's campaign has released internal polling showing the Republican ahead. A recent Fox News poll found Talarico leading Paxton **51% to 49% among likely voters**, a two-point difference within that poll's margin of error. Among all registered voters, Talarico's advantage was larger. The result was surprising enough that Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt reacted on air by asking: **"How is that possible?"** Paxton's leaked remarks may provide at least part of his own answer. He believes the Republican convention hurt. ## Trump's Own Numbers Have Deteriorated The controversy also arrives amid broader evidence of weakening public approval for the president. Recent national surveys have consistently shown Trump underwater. A Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump's approval at 32%. State-level polling has also shown substantial deterioration since the beginning of his second term, including in states he carried in 2024. That doesn't mean Trump is necessarily responsible for every Republican candidate struggling this year. Candidates have their own records, opponents and local political environments. Paxton himself is a polarizing political figure whose favorability numbers present challenges independent of Trump. But presidents inevitably shape the political environment surrounding midterm elections. Republican candidates have to decide how closely to attach themselves to a president who remains extremely popular with much of their party's base but significantly less popular with the electorate overall. That creates a difficult calculation. They need Trump's voters. They may also need voters who don't like Trump. ## Trump Calls Paxton ‘A Pain in the Ass’ The relationship became even more awkward after the recording emerged. Trump traveled to Texas to campaign for Paxton. During an appearance in Denton, Trump began talking about the Republican nominee. "He's a pain in the ass sometimes," Trump joked. Then Trump apparently realized Paxton was sitting in the audience. "Oh, he's here?" Trump quickly shifted back to praise, calling Paxton the country's greatest attorney general and reaffirming his support for the Republican nominee. The exchange was humorous. But the timing was extraordinary. Days earlier, Paxton had privately complained that Republican polling declined after Trump's convention. Now Trump was publicly campaigning for him while joking about his irritation with the candidate. ## Public Loyalty, Private Anxiety None of this demonstrates that Republicans have collectively abandoned Trump. They clearly haven't. Trump remains the dominant figure inside the Republican Party, Republican candidates continue seeking his support and party leaders continue publicly defending him. Nor does Paxton's leaked conversation prove that Trump will hurt Republicans in November. Election results will answer that question. But the recording exposes something considerably more subtle. There is a difference between the Republican Party's public presentation of Trump and the private calculations individual candidates must make about him. Publicly, Trump's convention was "amazing." Privately, Paxton said: **"It dropped our numbers."** Publicly, Republicans continue presenting Trump as their greatest political asset. Privately, a Republican Senate nominee is examining polling and worrying about what happened after the president came to help. That doesn't mean Republicans are "done with Trump." It does mean that, with the midterms approaching and Trump's approval ratings substantially underwater, at least some Republicans are confronting a question that was once almost unthinkable inside the MAGA-era GOP: **What happens when Donald Trump's ability to energize Republican voters collides with his ability to energize voters who oppose him?** — article image

October 4, 2026

Leaked Recording Exposes Republican Anxiety Over Trump Ahead of Midterms

Judge Orders DOJ to Fast-Track Epstein Records Mentioning Trump and Mar-a-Lago — article image

October 3, 2026

Judge Orders DOJ to Fast-Track Epstein Records Mentioning Trump and Mar-a-Lago

Something Is Happening in Texas: Trump’s Coalition Is Showing Serious Cracks — article image

October 3, 2026

Something Is Happening in Texas: Trump’s Coalition Is Showing Serious Cracks

Republicans Have a Midterm Problem: Majority of Voters Now Want Democrats to Control the House — article image

October 3, 2026

Republicans Have a Midterm Problem: Majority of Voters Now Want Democrats to Control the House

Trump’s Jobs Economy Hits a Wall as Hiring Collapses and Earlier Gains Vanish — article image

October 2, 2026

Trump’s Jobs Economy Hits a Wall as Hiring Collapses and Earlier Gains Vanish

Even Fox News Can't Hide How Bad Things Have Gotten for Donald Trump — article image

October 1, 2026

Even Fox News Can't Hide How Bad Things Have Gotten for Donald Trump

Polls Point to a Massive Blue Wave as Republicans Lose Ground Nationwide — article image

September 29, 2026

Polls Point to a Massive Blue Wave as Republicans Lose Ground Nationwide

# Election-Integrity Candidate Convicted of Election Fraud — and She's Far From the First Republican Caught Doing It — article image

September 28, 2026

Election-Integrity Candidate Convicted of Election Fraud — and She's Far From the First Republican Caught Doing It

Trump Hits 37% Approval as Republicans Confront a Midterm Warning Sign — article image

September 28, 2026

Trump Hits 37% Approval as Republicans Confront a Midterm Warning Sign

Trump’s Voter-Fraud Crackdown Finds Cases — Just Not the Epidemic He Claimed — article image

September 28, 2026

Trump’s Voter-Fraud Crackdown Finds Cases — Just Not the Epidemic He Claimed

Trump's Support Is Cracking in the Places That Put Him Back in the White House — article image

September 27, 2026

Trump's Support Is Cracking in the Places That Put Him Back in the White House

Trump Gets a Hostile—Reception at Tennessee Football Game — article image

September 27, 2026

Trump Gets a Hostile—Reception at Tennessee Football Game

Trump's Poll Numbers Are Collapsing — And Voters Now See Republicans as the Party of the Elite — article image

September 27, 2026

Trump's Poll Numbers Are Collapsing — And Voters Now See Republicans as the Party of the Elite

The Iran War Is Becoming a Midterm Problem Republicans Can’t Ignore — article image

September 26, 2026

The Iran War Is Becoming a Midterm Problem Republicans Can’t Ignore

Trump’s Support Is Shrinking—Even Among Republicans — article image

September 26, 2026

Trump’s Support Is Shrinking—Even Among Republicans

Democrats Sue to Keep Armed Federal Agents Away From Polling Places — article image

September 26, 2026

Democrats Sue to Keep Armed Federal Agents Away From Polling Places

Trump Won Over Latino Voters. Now Some Say They Feel Betrayed. — article image

September 26, 2026

Trump Won Over Latino Voters. Now Some Say They Feel Betrayed.

ox News Poll: 63% of Voters Say Trump Has Made the Economy Worse — article image

September 25, 2026

Fox News Poll: 63% of Voters Say Trump Has Made the Economy Worse

Congress Is Coming Back for the Epstein Files—Again — article image

September 25, 2026

Congress Is Coming Back for the Epstein Files—Again

97% of Mirror Readers Agree: Donald Trump Is ‘Not a Normal Human Being’ — article image

September 25, 2026

97% of Mirror Readers Agree: Donald Trump Is ‘Not a Normal Human Being’

Trump Built His Own Propaganda Channel. No One Is Interested. — article image

September 25, 2026

Trump Built His Own Propaganda Channel. No One Is Interested.

Trump Won Over Young Men. Now Some of His Biggest 2024 Gains Are Unraveling — article image

September 24, 2026

Trump Won Over Young Men. Now Some of His Biggest 2024 Gains Are Unraveling

Judge Tosses Trump’s ‘Election Interference’ Lawsuit Over Iowa Poll — article image

September 24, 2026

Judge Tosses Trump’s ‘Election Interference’ Lawsuit Over Iowa Poll

96% of people we polled believe Donald Trump is the 'dumbest President ever' — article image

September 24, 2026

96% of people we polled believe Donald Trump is the 'dumbest President ever'

Republican Candidates Put Distance Between Themselves and Trump as Midterm Pressure Builds — article image

September 24, 2026

Republican Candidates Put Distance Between Themselves and Trump as Midterm Pressure Builds

National Guard at the Polls? Election Officials Prepare for a Scenario the Military Says It Isn't Planning — article image

September 24, 2026

National Guard at the Polls? Election Officials Prepare for a Scenario the Military Says It Isn't Planning

The Voters Who Put Trump Back in the White House Are Starting to Walk Away — article image

September 23, 2026

The Voters Who Put Trump Back in the White House Are Starting to Walk Away

Trump’s Iran War Is Losing Republicans — New Poll Shows Support Cracking Inside His Own Party — article image

September 23, 2026

Trump’s Iran War Is Losing Republicans — New Poll Shows Support Cracking Inside His Own Party

Trump Approval Falls to 32% — the Lowest of His Political Career — article image

September 22, 2026

Trump Approval Falls to 32% — the Lowest of His Political Career

The Midterm Map Is Turning Blue — And Republicans Are Running Out of Places to Hide — article image

September 21, 2026

The Midterm Map Is Turning Blue — And Republicans Are Running Out of Places to Hide

The Clock Is Ticking on Trump’s Power — And Washington Knows It — article image

September 21, 2026

The Clock Is Ticking on Trump’s Power — And Washington Knows It

Trump Approval Crashes Into the 20s in New National Poll — article image

September 21, 2026

Trump Approval Crashes Into the 20s in New National Poll

Greg Abbott Is Losing to a Democrat in Texas — New Poll Puts Hinojosa Ahead by 4 — article image

September 21, 2026

Greg Abbott Is Losing to a Democrat in Texas — New Poll Puts Hinojosa Ahead by 4

Trump’s Very Bad Week: Courts, Congress, the Fed and the Economy All Delivered Setbacks — article image

September 20, 2026

Trump’s Very Bad Week: Courts, Congress, the Fed and the Economy All Delivered Setbacks

Republican María Salazar Warns Trump: Hispanic Voters Who Put You in the White House ‘Feel Betrayed’ — article image

September 20, 2026

Republican María Salazar Warns Trump: Hispanic Voters Who Put You in the White House ‘Feel Betrayed’

Trump’s Policies Are Creating a Dangerous Midterm Environment for Republicans — article image

September 19, 2026

Trump’s Policies Are Creating a Dangerous Midterm Environment for Republicans

Trump Keeps Telling Americans the Economy Is Great. Voters Aren’t Buying It. — article image

September 18, 2026

Trump Keeps Telling Americans the Economy Is Great. Voters Aren’t Buying It.

Trump Fights Release of Jack Smith’s Evidence in January 6 Case — article image

October 1, 2024

Trump Fights Release of Jack Smith’s Evidence in January 6 Case

Senate Report Details Trump's Pressure Campaign Against the Justice Department — article image

October 7, 2021

Senate Report Details Trump's Pressure Campaign Against the Justice Department

Trump Takes Aim at Obama-Era Clean Water Protections — article image

February 28, 2017

Trump Takes Aim at Obama-Era Clean Water Protections

Trump Claims Millions Voted Illegally — Without Any Evidence — article image

January 25, 2017

Trump Claims Millions Voted Illegally — Without Any Evidence

Trump’s $916 Million Loss Raises Questions About Years Without Federal Income Taxes — article image

October 12, 2016

Trump’s $916 Million Loss Raises Questions About Years Without Federal Income Taxes

Trump’s $916 Million Loss Raises Questions About Years Without Federal Income Taxes — article image

October 1, 2016

Trump’s $916 Million Loss Raises Questions About Years Without Federal Income Taxes

Trump, David Duke and the KKK: The Interview That Sparked a Firestorm — article image

February 28, 2016

Trump, David Duke and the KKK: The Interview That Sparked a Firestorm

This Is Really Happening: America Realizes Donald Trump Could Actually Win — article image

February 26, 2016

This Is Really Happening: America Realizes Donald Trump Could Actually Win

Trump Wins New Hampshire — And the Political Establishment Realizes This Is No Joke — article image

February 9, 2016

Trump Wins New Hampshire — And the Political Establishment Realizes This Is No Joke

Trump Loses Iowa: The First Votes of 2016 Deliver an Upset — article image

February 1, 2016

Trump Loses Iowa: The First Votes of 2016 Deliver an Upset

Trump Calls for a “Total and Complete Shutdown” of Muslims Entering the United States — article image

December 7, 2015

Trump Calls for a “Total and Complete Shutdown” of Muslims Entering the United States

The Rally That Showed Trump’s Campaign Was Becoming Something Much Bigger — article image

August 26, 2015

The Rally That Showed Trump’s Campaign Was Becoming Something Much Bigger

Trump vs. Megyn Kelly: The Debate Fight That Became a Campaign War — article image

August 7, 2015

Trump vs. Megyn Kelly: The Debate Fight That Became a Campaign War

I Like People That Weren’t Captured”: Trump Attacks John McCain’s War Record — article image

July 18, 2015

I Like People That Weren’t Captured”: Trump Attacks John McCain’s War Record

Everyone Thought Donald Trump Was a Joke. Then He Started Taking Over the Republican Race. — article image

June 25, 2015

Everyone Thought Donald Trump Was a Joke. Then He Started Taking Over the Republican Race.