Talarico’s video appearance challenges Trump’s absence claim

James Talarico took part in a public forum by Zoom on 30 September, a week before Donald Trump claimed no one had seen the Democratic US Senate nominee in Texas for an extended period. Talarico had also accepted several invitations to debate Republican rival Ken Paxton. [1] [2] [9] [3]

In his late-night Truth Social post on 7 October 2026, Trump prefaced the absence claim with “upon information and belief”. He called Paxton “ready, willing, and able” and urged Talarico to appear on a debate stage, without identifying a mutually agreed debate or a specific invitation the Democrat had refused. [1]

At the forum, organised by the United States Hispanic Business Council, Talarico said he had flu and had chosen virtual participation to protect other people’s health. [10]

Trump separately said at a San Antonio rally on 7 October, where he urged supporters to elect Paxton, that Talarico had been gone for two weeks. The video appearance shows Talarico had not been wholly out of public view during those two weeks. It does not rule out a break from in-person campaigning, however, and Trump’s post left its own absence period undefined. [5] [1]

The Talarico Victory Fund’s page for its final Austin fundraiser lists the event as rescheduled, with a new date and time still to be determined. It gives no reason for the change. [4]

The debate dispute predates the illness explanation. On 29 July, Talarico’s campaign announced that he had accepted three television debate invitations for September and October. He accepted a further invitation from CNN on 2 September, according to the Tribune, then challenged Paxton on 24 September to a debate moderated by Fox News’ Bret Baier. [3] [7]

Paxton’s senior adviser, Nick Maddux, has said: “Of course we are going to debate James Talarico”. He also described the campaign as “close to terms” with one outlet, while objecting to allowing Talarico to hand-pick a moderator. Maddux criticised CNN’s proposed moderators after Talarico accepted that invitation. Those were statements of willingness and negotiating positions, not a joint confirmation of debate terms. [6] [7]

The Tribune reported on 7 October that Talarico had accepted at least four invitations while Paxton had accepted none. It said Paxton’s campaign had not responded to repeated requests for comment about whether he would debate. [8]