Trump calls Ken Paxton a ‘pain in the ass,’ revives Talarico vomiting story — then Dennis Rodman enters the speech

BS BULLETIN:

President Trump traveled to Texas Thursday to promote Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and his economic agenda.
Trump called Paxton a “pain in the ass” while simultaneously praising him as the country’s best attorney general.
The nearly hour-long appearance also included Dennis Rodman, a disputed story about Democrat James Talarico throwing up after eating meat and several moments that quickly went viral.

President Donald Trump went to Texas Thursday to help Ken Paxton get elected to the U.S. Senate.

Trump: Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody, and I have to always remember that because he can be a pain in the ass. Is he here by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. pic.twitter.com/NHz4L4ENd4

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 1, 2026

Paxton certainly got an endorsement.

He also got roasted by the man giving it.

Speaking at the Peterbilt Motors plant in Denton, Trump praised Paxton for standing beside him during years of political and legal battles.

Then came the qualifier.

“He can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I’ll be honest,” Trump said.

Trump suddenly appeared to realize Paxton was actually in the room.

“Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. I didn’t even know if he was here. I don’t care.”

Trump immediately followed that up by calling Paxton “the greatest attorney general in the United States of America.”

And that was just the beginning.

Trump then turned to Paxton’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, whom he called a “freak-o.”

He repeated a claim that Talarico is secretly vegan and only pretends to eat meat while campaigning in Texas.

According to Trump, Talarico goes to barbecues, eats meat and then heads behind a tent to throw up.

Talarico has repeatedly said he eats meat, and PolitiFact previously rated the underlying claim that he is vegan false. The White House also did not provide evidence when previously asked to support Trump’s story about Talarico vomiting after eating barbecue.

Then Dennis Rodman entered the conversation.

The former NBA star was traveling with Trump and appeared at the Texas event.

“When you think you’re tall and then you stand next to Dennis Rodman, you’re not so tall anymore,” Trump joked.

Trump praised Rodman as perhaps the greatest rebounder in basketball history before pivoting to something considerably less predictable: North Korea.

Trump reminded the audience that Rodman has had a personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and recounted Rodman’s past visits to the country.

“But the one who knew him best was Dennis Rodman,” Trump said while discussing his own relationship with Kim.

Trump later traveled to Durant, Oklahoma, where Rodman resurfaced in another unusual riff.

With both Rodman and former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom present, Trump joked that he was granting the two men a “full pardon” allowing them to enter the WNBA.

“I guarantee you when they do … they will break every record in the history of women’s sports,” Trump said.

Neither man requires a presidential pardon to play professional basketball, and Rodman has not expressed an intention to play in the WNBA. Trump was making a joke tied to his continuing criticism of transgender women participating in women’s sports.

Trump also used the appearances to tout tariffs, manufacturing jobs and his administration’s economic record while arguing that Democrats’ attacks on affordability are politically motivated.

The speeches drew an immediate torrent of criticism online.

Former Republican congressman and Trump critic Joe Walsh claimed Trump was “rapidly losing his mind,” while Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov mocked the treatment of Paxton.

Those are political opinions, not medical assessments.

Mediaite collected those reactions alongside clips from the speeches, but the videos themselves hardly needed embellishment.

Paxton got endorsed and insulted in almost the same breath.

Talarico got accused of clandestine veganism and post-barbecue vomiting.

Dennis Rodman somehow became part of a discussion involving Kim Jong Un and then the WNBA.