President Donald Trump praised Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is currently running to keep his Senate seat, calling him a “good man.”
NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Garrett Haake in a post on X said Trump did not tell him who he plans to endorse in the Texas Republican Senate primary, but said Cornyn “is a very underrated person” and that “He was supposed to lose by ten points and he won.”
President Trump wouldn’t tell me who he plans to endorse in the Texas Senate race, but MAY have tipped his hand when I noted @JohnCornyn outperformed polls Tuesday: “Cornyn is a very underrated person. He was supposed to lose by ten points and he won. He's a good man."
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) March 6, 2026
The president said he is disappointed that the Save America Act has not yet passed. He said he’s “not happy it’s not moving” in the Senate.
And/But the President also noted @KenPaxtonTX outspoken support of the Save America Act, and made it clear he’s “not happy its not moving," in the Senate and that he's "expressed that to everyone."
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) March 6, 2026
Trump said earlier this week that he would endorse one of the two candidates, but did not indicate which one. But he did say he would want the other candidate to drop out of the race after he makes his endorsement announcement. Republican leaders have been urging the president to back Cornyn, believing he has a better shot at retaining the Senate seat for the GOP.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is challenging Cornyn in a runoff election set for May 26, initially said he planned to remain in the race even if Trump backs his opponent. However, he later stated he “would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”
Paxton attacked Cornyn as “a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require people registering to vote in federal elections to prove U.S. citizenship with documents like a passport or birth certificate, and it would also tighten photo ID rules. The House has already passed the measure.
The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I'm committed to helping President Trump get it done.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) March 5, 2026
I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.
John Cornyn…
Cornyn does support the SAVE America Act, arguing that “It is ridiculous that we need to pass a bill to ensure that Americans alone are the ones voting in our federal elections.”