Trump: Where is Talarico?

President Trump on Wednesday accused Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D) of avoiding a debate with state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), asking, “Where is he?”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, upon information and belief, James TalaFREAKo, who is running for the United States Senate in Texas, is MISSING IN ACTION!” Trump wrote on Truth Social . “No one has seen him for an extended period of time.”

He continued, “Where is he? What is wrong with him? Bad rumors are coming out.”

The president added that Talarico should “immediately report to a Debate Stage against Ken Paxton, who is ready, willing, and able, one of the best Attorney Generals in the Country, and will soon be, hopefully, a United States Senator representing the Great People of Texas!”

Paxton’s campaign launched new ads this week criticizing Talarico’s recent absence on the campaign trail, with a voiceover saying the candidate had been “missing for 11 days.”

The Democrat last appeared at a fundraising event in New York with actor Robert De Niro on Sept. 28, but he revealed two days later that he was diagnosed with the flu during a virtual appearance at a U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum .

Despite Trump’s accusation, Talarico has accepted at least four debate invitations from CNN and local TV stations, the Texas Tribune reported . He challenged Paxton to a Fox News debate while speaking at the annual Texas Tribune Festival, saying Texans should “go to Ken Paxton’s safe space,” the Daily Texan wrote late last month.

“I’ll go into the lions’ den because I know what I believe,” he said. “I am proud of my record, and I’m not afraid of hard questions.”

The only debate scheduled for Texas candidates is for the race for railroad commissioner between Democrat Jon Rosenthal and Republican Bo French, a debate Rosenthal confirmed in late September. The forum has not been publicly confirmed by French, however, according to the Tribune.

The last Texas Senate race to go without a debate was in 2000 between former Rep. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Democrat Gene Kelly, according to the outlet. The lack of any agreed-to debates in 2026 comes two weeks before early voting kicks off in the Lone Star State.

Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux told the Tribune in July that “of course” Paxton would debate Talarico.

“Talarico is a serial liar who has spent his entire campaign shamelessly deceiving Texas voters about his radical record with[out] answering the hard questions,” Maddux said at the time.

Talarico leads Paxton 51-45, with 4 percent of likely Texas voters undecided, according to a recent New York Times/Siena University poll . Hispanic support for Trump in 2024 has shifted, with 62 percent of Hispanic voters saying they back Talarico over 30 percent for Paxton.