How Trump Could Cost Republicans $250 Million in Texas

Axios White House reporter Alex Isenstadt joins Tara to break down the chaos in the Texas Senate race — and what it reveals about Trump's grip on the Republican Party. Trump refused to endorse John Cornyn before the deadline, Ken Paxton is staying in the race, and Democrats smell blood in a state they haven't won statewide in three decades. They dig into why Trump is holding his endorsement hostage over the Save America Act, what the race could cost Republicans ($200M+), and how intraparty fights from Texas to Kentucky to Georgia are testing Trump's political power heading into the midterms. Plus: how the war in Iran and rising gas prices are reshaping the 2026 landscape. Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. 0:00 – Introduction 0:52 – The Texas Senate race: Democrats' white whale 2:55 – Trump pulled in two directions: establishment vs. MAGA base 4:34 – Trump teased an endorsement then went silent 6:27 – The Senate majority is suddenly competitive 8:08 – Can Democrats actually win Texas? 9:23 – Why Trump is extra cautious after the Iran blowback 10:40 – Trump vs. Thomas Massie: Epstein, Iran, and the May primary 12:29 – Are these the first ripples of a blue wave? 15:07 – Trump holding his endorsement as leverage for the Save America Act 18:13 – Paxton's savvy move on the filibuster froze the race 20:07 – What to watch: Iran, gas prices, and the midterms 21:46 – Affordability has been overshadowed by foreign affairs 23:32 – Closing thoughts For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe The latest from the 'Red Letter': https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/is-it-time-to-take-the-oligarchy https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/gen-z-guru-rachel-janfaza-on-whether https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/is-big-gretch-cooked To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Listen to the 'Tara Palmeri Show': Apple https://apple.co/4lWeFuo iHeartRadio https://iheart.com/podcast/273622585/ Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cdfe747e-54a2-47ae-9ec5-15957642e533/the-tara-palmeri-show Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3kgamV3lbZIGIHW2H0XUTR?si=1ffdbb566a964bc1 New videos from Tara are released 5PM EST on weekdays and Sunday https://www.youtube.com/@TaraPalmeri Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected]