The Value of Loyalty
Segment #907
President Donald Trump’s decision to drop his support for incumbent Senator John Cornyn and endorse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the primary runoff comes down to a classic MAGA loyalty test. Trump laid out his reasoning directly on social media, explicitly stating that while Cornyn is a "good man," he "was not supportive of me when times were tough." He further complained that Cornyn was "very late in backing me" during the Republican nomination battle.
In retrospect it appears that John Cornyn made some extremely foolish political decisions. We can’t possibly know that unless we understand fully all the information Cornyn had at the time he made the decisions. If he knew then what we know now about all the corruption and fraud, then Cornyn looks pretty foolish. If, however, we assume he was operating somewhat in the dark and made a politically expedient bet based on his supporters and voting Texans, then he guessed wrong. Many Texas voters believe he is and was manipulative and thought we would never learn the truth about the 2020 election, J6, and the IC corruption.
Past Criticism
In 2023, Cornyn openly suggested the GOP could "do better" than Trump, arguing that Trump hadn't figured out how to expand his appeal beyond his base and stating that "time has passed him by." Trump went on to sweep the swing states and win the popular vote.
The 2023 Electability Rebuke: "Time Has Passed Him By": Cornyn’s most direct, targeted criticism of Trump came in May 2023 during the early stages of the Republican presidential primary. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Cornyn explicitly challenged Trump's ability to win a general election and urged the Republican party to move in a different direction.
His public quotes were unusually sharp for an establishment figure: "The basic problem is, President Trump hasn't figured out how to expand his appeal beyond his base...
“You can't win a general election with just your base."
When asked directly if he thought the party needed to move past Trump, Cornyn stated:
"I think we can do better. I think time has passed him by."
Post-2020 Election Accountability: Rejecting the Conspiracies: Following the 2020 presidential election, Cornyn publicly split from Trump’s rhetoric regarding election fraud. While he initially supported Trump’s right to file legal challenges, he was quick to publicly call out the lack of evidence when those challenges failed. On Trump's Legal Team: Cornyn openly criticized the chaotic press conferences held by Trump’s personal legal team (led by Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell). He told reporters that their public claims of a stolen election without presenting concrete proof in court was "an embarrassment," adding that it was "past time" for Trump's legal team to put up or shut up. On Retaliatory Firings: When Trump fired Chris Krebs—the top Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity official who declared the 2020 election the "most secure in American history"—Cornyn publicly rebuked the decision, telling reporters that Krebs had done a "splendid job" and "shouldn't be penalized" for telling the truth.
The 2020 "Private vs. Public" Dynamic: During the 2020 campaign, a leaked audio recording caught Cornyn being remarkably candid about his private frustrations with Trump’s public behavior, offering a rare glimpse into what he truly thought of Trump’s executive style. Speaking to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board in an interview that was subsequently made public, Cornyn compared his relationship with Trump to a spouse trying to change their partner's bad habits, stating that he frequently disagreed with Trump "behind closed doors." e publicly criticized Trump on several fronts, stating:
Trump’s rhetoric and actions on trade, deficits, and border funding were deeply problematic.
Trump had "let his guard down" on the COVID-19 pandemic, which Cornyn argued created a severe public relations mess for the party.
Trump's public statements often completely derailed the legislative wins that Senate Republicans were trying to highlight.
Certifying the 2020 Election Results
In the buildup to January 6th, Cornyn explicitly split from his fellow Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, and other high-profile Republicans who planned to object to the certification of Joe Biden's victory.Drawing on his background on the bench, Cornyn sent a lengthy letter to Texans explaining that while he supported Trump’s right to challenge the results in court, those lawsuits had failed to produce evidence of widespread fraud. He noted: "As a former judge, I view this process with the same impartial, evidence-based decision-making as I did my job on the bench... unless substantial, new evidence is presented... I will not object to the certification." On January 6th, following the riot, he voted to certify the Electoral College results. Following the 2020 election, Cornyn was one of the GOP senators who acknowledged Joe Biden's victory early on, noting he hadn't seen evidence that would change the outcome and publicly disagreeing with Trump's firing of cybersecurity official Chris Krebs.
Condemning the Violence vs. Defending Trump
Cornyn was unsparing in his rhetorical condemnation of the attack on the Capitol, calling it "horrific & appalling" and a "dark moment in our nation's history." He consistently maintained that anyone who planned or participated in the physical breach of the building should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Political Expediency
As a Texas senator I believe Cornyn had no choice to Oppose impeachment: Cornyn voted to acquit Trump during the second impeachment trial. He argued that the House's "rush to judgment" lacked a thorough evidentiary process and stated that he saw nothing to indicate Trump intended to incite a riot. And to curry favor with hisbase I believe Cornyn Defended Objectors: He publicly defended Ted Cruz against calls from Democrats for an ethics investigation or resignation over Cruz's election objections.
Stance on January 6th Investigations
The knowledge we have now on the fraud that occurred during the election, the deceptions carried out on January 6th by the Democrats, and the obvious stacking of the J6 committee and their subsequent fraudulent conduct were all probably known or suspected at the time by Trump and high level politicians on both sides. Like most politicians Cornyn made political choices shrouded in morality and concern for the country. It was easier to buy that proposition then than it is now. I am not faulting Cornyn, he made a simple pragmatic choice that seemed balanced and politically expedient at the time. I doubt seriously if any of our governnmet leaders considered that the public would have as much as access to information as we now have.
The Failed Independent Commission: Initially, Cornyn publicly agreed with Speaker Nancy Pelosi that a bipartisan, independent, "9/11-style" commission was necessary to evaluate security and intelligence failures. However, when the bill came to the Senate floor in May 2021, Cornyn joined Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to filibuster and kill the proposal, arguing that ongoing law enforcement and Senate committee reviews were sufficient and that a separate commission would become politically weaponized.
Rebelling Against "Legitimate Political Discourse" Label: In early 2022, when the Republican National Committee (RNC) censured Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger—and referred to the events surrounding January 6th as "legitimate political discourse"—Cornyn publicly rebuked the move. He aligned with McConnell, calling the RNC's actions "not a unifying action" and maintaining that what happened at the Capitol was a violent insurrection, not standard political speech.
Simple Choice of Trust and Loyalty
A "MAGA Warrior" Alternative: In contrast to Cornyn's more traditional, institutionalist approach, Trump praised Paxton as a "true MAGA Warrior" who has consistently fought for the America First agenda. Even though Cornyn had spent months aligning closely with Trump ahead of the runoff—including publicly supporting his campaign, backing his legislative goals, and pushing against the Senate filibuster—Trump chose to look backward at who stood by him during his legal and political vulnerabilities.
The Political Fallout: While Cornyn completely ceased this criticism after Trump's 2024 victory—conspicuously backing Trump's policy positions and writing op-eds praising their "hand-in-glove" relationship—these exact public statements ultimately doomed him with the president. In his recent endorsement of Ken Paxton, Trump made it clear he hadn't forgotten Cornyn's 2023 comments, punishing the incumbent senator for not being there "when times were tough."
Many of us really don’t know Paxton. I do know that I am sick of Cornyn’s “i voted with Trump 99% of the time. and Paxton beats his wife, his dogs, his kids, and the mailman when he can catch him.
We will do a deep dive on Paxton this week.