BOOM! Ken Paxton Just CORNERED RINO John Cornyn With a Move Nobody Saw Coming!

I think that this people of Texas deserve a choice. We've had John Cornyn in an office for over four decades. I was in college and I'm 63. He's been in office since I was in college. He's been representing us in the Senate, but he's not done it well. And when I've asked Texans, every stop, whether it's one person or 5,000 people, I've asked this question. Can you name one good accomplishment of John Cornyn in the last, let's go back 40 plus years, and no one's ever given me an answer. Even his supporters cannot name one good accomplishment. We have many bad ones, including opposing President Trump on many of the issues like the border and amnesty and even his own election. So, no, I'm going to give people in Texas a choice. The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion. But I've been in this race for almost a year, and we're going to win this race. Ladies and gentlemen, something just happened in Texas politics that has Washington DC doing a double take. Because the Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, just pulled a move so unexpected, so politically savage, that longtime US Senator of Texas, John Cornyn, suddenly looked like he walked straight into a trap that he didn't even know was on the board. And when I say trap, I mean a political chess move that now has people across the United States Senate scrambling, trying to figure out what just happened. Because this whole thing revolves around a bill that you've probably been hearing about lately, the SAVE Act, and whether Senate leadership, including figures like John Thune, will actually allow it to move forward. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raising the possibility of leaving the US Senate race. I think it's a really good signal for Senator Cornyn. Rice political science professor Mark Jones says many Washington Republicans want President Trump to endorse incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Ken Paxton is viewed as a serious liability on the ticket in November, someone who could actually lose a statewide race. In his social media post Thursday, Paxton said he would drop out if Senate GOP leaders abolish the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act. The bill would require Americans to prove their citizenship when they register to vote and present a photo ID at the polls. The filibuster is a procedural tool that can be used to delay or block votes. Now, this price is a price that's too high to pay, getting rid of the filibuster. But it has signaled that he's open to negotiation. That could be in terms of positions. It could be in terms of his future finances and economic situation. There are a whole host of ways and things that the president can do. Hours earlier on a conservative podcast, Paxton said he would not drop out even if Trump endorsed Cornyn. The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion. But I've been in this race for almost a year and we're going to win this race in the runoff. Paxton's initial defiance appeared to upset the president, who told Politico Thursday it may lead him to endorse Cornyn. And not too long after that, the attorney general changed his tune. If you're Ken Paxton and you defy Donald Trump, you're going to be seen in a very negative light for a considerable period of time. Reporters on Capitol Hill tried to ask Senator Cornyn for his thoughts. He's not taking questions on the endorsement. Both Republican campaigns continue to lobby for the president's support. Now, here's where it gets very interesting. This entire showdown is unfolding while Donald J. Trump is deciding who to endorse in this race. Yes, you heard that right, guys. A Senate race, a major election bill, Trump's endorsement, the Save America Act, and somehow, Ken Paxton just turned the whole situation into a political checkmate scenario. Now, before we break down this absolutely wild strategy step by step, take a second and subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss what's coming next. And if by the end of the video, if you're still sitting there thinking to yourself, okay, that was worth it, be sure to hit the like button on the way out. Totally appreciate you. All right, so let's unpack what just happened. So, let's start where this battlefield began, the great state of Texas, okay? Because right now, Texas is hosting one of the most explosive political showdowns in the country. On the one side, you've got Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, fighter, known for taking on Washington. But on the other side, longtime Senator John Cornyn. So now, Cornyn has been sitting in the United States Senate for decades. And when I say decades, I mean some Texans joke that he's been there since flip phones were cutting edge technology. But here's the problem that Cornyn is facing. A lot of grassroots conservatives feel Washington changed him. Too comfortable, too establishment, too go along the get along. That's where Paxton comes in. He's running as the disruptor, okay? The guy saying the Senate doesn't need another career politician. It needs someone willing to shake the building, which means that this race isn't just about Texas. It's about who runs the Republican party moving forward. But then something enters the story that completely flips the entire race upside down. That wild card? The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Now, if you follow Republican primaries, you already know the rule. A Trump endorsement can end a race overnight. Money floods in, polls jump, momentum explodes. So naturally, everyone in Washington started watching closely when Trump hinted that he might soon announce who he supports in this Texas race. The dramatic Republican primary in Texas is not quite over, but President Donald Trump hoping to bring the bitter and expensive ordeal to an end. With incumbent Senator John Cornyn now facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May runoff, GOP leaders warning President Trump that scandal plagued Paxton could cost them the seat. I've spoken with the president already today about Texas. I hope the president will endorse John Cornyn. President Trump said Wednesday he'll be endorsing someone soon and asked the other candidate to immediately drop out of the race. I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build. For too long, John Cornyn has turned his back on us. All while Democrats selected state rep James Tallarico over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Tallarico has leaned on his Christian faith and pointed to his electability, highlighting the record-breaking voter turnout in the state. In the House, a tough night for incumbents. Dan Crenshaw, a war hero and the only House Republican without a Trump endorsement, lost. And Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez now heading to a runoff amid allegations he had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide. The House Ethics Committee announcing today it's investigating. And tonight, Gonzalez admitting to the affair for the first time. I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment and there was a lack of faith and I take full responsibility for those actions. Before the primary, sources told NBC News that President Trump was likely to endorse Cornyn as long as he kept the race close, which he did. Reports even surfaced through Politico suggesting Trump could make a decision soon. If Trump backs John Cornyn, that's a huge boost. If Trump backs Ken Paxton, that could completely reset the Senate. So, normally, candidates wait. They play nice. They avoid conflict. But Paxton didn't do that. Instead, he did something almost nobody in politics dares to do. He basically said, I'm not dropping out, even if Trump endorses the other guy. And this is when the entire story takes a turn nobody expected. What will happen if President Trump endorses? He's asked for all the other candidates to drop out. Will you do that if President Trump endorses your opponent, John Cornyn? Look, I think that this people of Texas deserve a choice. We've had John Cornyn in office for over four decades. I was in college and I'm 63. He's been in office since I was in college. He's been representing us in the Senate, but he's not done it well. And when I've asked Texans, every stop, whether it's one person or 5,000 people, I've asked this question. Can you name one good accomplishment of John Cornyn in the last, let's go back, 40 plus years? And no one's ever given me an answer. Even his supporters cannot name one good accomplishment. We have many bad ones, including opposing President Trump on many of the issues like the border and amnesty and even his own election. So no, I'm going to give people in Texas a choice. The people in Washington can have their own opinion. The president can have his own opinion. But I've been in this race for almost a year, and we're going to win this race in the runoff. Now, here's where the story gets interesting because Ken Paxton made a statement that made a lot of political strategists choke on their coffee. He even said very clearly, even if Donald J. Trump endorses John Cornyn, he's staying in the race. Now, hang on, guys, because in modern Republican politics, candidates almost never say that a Trump endorsement is powerful. Most candidates step aside. They don't want to fight that kind of momentum. But Paxton, he basically said, look, Texans deserve a choice, not a Washington decision, not a political coordination, a choice. And well, that statement alone sent a ripple through Washington, D.C., because suddenly this race wasn't going to be decided by insiders. It's going to be decided by voters. But here's a twist. What Paxton did next, nobody saw coming. And if this story already has you raising an eyebrow like, wait, what's happening here? Go ahead and share this video with someone who already follows Texas politics, because the move that he makes next, this is where the real chess match begins. All right, guys. So now we get to the moment that made people in Washington stop and say, wait, what just happened? Because Ken Paxton, he suddenly introduced a condition, a deal, a challenge. He said he would actually consider stepping out of the Senate race. Yes, you heard that correctly. He said that he would consider dropping out and allowing John Cornyn to have the seat. But only after one thing happened first. And that one thing involves a piece of legislation that has become a massive issue nationwide, the SAVE Act. GOP is in a runoff race for the Senate between A.J. Kim Paxton and incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Now, Paxton is now saying that he could be swayed. This is what Paxton is saying, to drop out if the Senate passes the SAVE Act. At last check, Republicans don't even have enough votes to get across the finish line. This legislation does a number of things. Republicans say the main objective is to make sure only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections by requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. Now, Paxton posted this on social media. You see it right here, saving in part. The SAVE Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass. I would I'm committed to helping President Trump get it done. I would consider dropping out of this race if the Senate leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and pass the SAVE Act. Now, in the past, Senate Majority Leader John Thume has been unwilling to end the filibuster because they don't have the votes right now. So Paxton said if Senate leadership allows the SAVE Act to pass, then he would step aside. Now, think about that. He just turned a Senate race into leverage for a national election bill. Suddenly, this wasn't just a Texas primary anymore. Now the entire United States Senate is part of the equation. And this is why people started calling this a political chess move, because Ken Paxton didn't just challenge Cornyn. He just challenged Washington itself. Now, before we move on, let me mention something real quick that a lot of people in the audience deal with, OK? And it's honestly one of the most frustrating situations you can run into. Now, one viewer told me he showed up for a doctor's appointment, sat down, waited. And when they pulled up his information, they suddenly told him his doctor no longer accepted his Medicare plan. So right there at the front desk, loud enough that people in the waiting room heard it. He said he felt embarrassed walking out of that office. And the worst part, he thought everything was covered. Now, that kind of surprise shouldn't happen. And you'd probably agree with that. This is exactly why I partnered with Chapter. They check your Medicare coverage to make sure it actually works with the doctors you already use. Makes sense, right? Now, most people would rather fix that problem before they walk into the waiting room. This is why so many people are already calling the phone number at the bottom of your screen right here, 909-563-8279, or they're clicking the link down below right now to go to askchapter.org slash Ron to have Chapter check their coverage for them for free. It only takes a few minutes, and it could save you from a pretty uncomfortable situation. All right, guys, let's get back to what's happening in Washington, shall we? So let's talk about the bill that suddenly became the center of this entire political storm, the SAVE Act. Now, in simple terms, the SAVE Act requires something very basic, proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. That's it. Supporters say it strengthens election integrity. They also argue it helps to ensure voter rolls are accurate and that the federal elections are limited to U.S. citizens. Now, according to polling often cited in the debate, large majorities of Americans support measures like voter ID and citizenship verification. So politically speaking, this really is not some obscure issue. Everybody knows about it, or at least most people know about this stuff, right? So it's one of the most emotionally charged topics in American politics today. And this is exactly why Ken Paxton chose it, because the moment you bring up the SAVE Act, every politician has to take a side. You either support it or you don't. There ain't no middle of the road kind of stuff there, right? So this is where Ken Paxton's strategy gets very interesting, because suddenly, this Senate race wasn't about personalities anymore. It quickly became about forcing Washington to reveal where it actually stands, and that leads directly into the trap. So here's the brilliance of what Ken Paxton did. He told Washington something very simple. He said, if you pass the SAVE Act, I'll step aside. Now, think about that for a second, okay? If the bill passes, Ken Paxton can say he helped force the issue. He leveraged his personal campaign to move national legislation. But if the bill doesn't pass, then suddenly voters start asking questions. Well, why not? What's stopping it, right? Who blocked this SAVE Act bill? And this is where things get uncomfortable for the establishment, because now the spotlight suddenly shifts to leadership inside the United States Senate. You see what happened here? Suddenly, this Texas race is putting pressure on senators across the entire country. This is a classic political squeeze. If they pass the bill, Paxton proves his influence. If they block the bill, well, they expose themselves. Either way, Paxton forced Washington to show its hand. And the next piece of the story, it involves a Senate rule that most Americans have heard about, but very few people actually understand. And so now, this is where things move from political strategy into Senate procedure. And yes, I know, Senate procedure sounds about as exciting as reading the warranty on a freaking toaster, right? But stick with me, guys. I promise you, this is going to get good, okay? This part actually matters. So the reason the SAVE Act hasn't moved forward quickly in the United States Senate comes down to something simple. Well, something called the filibuster, okay? So right now, most major bills in the Senate need 60 votes to pass, not 51, 60, which means even if a majority supports something, a minority can still block it. So now, critics say this version of the filibuster isn't how it originally worked. The old version forced Senators to stand on the Senate floor and talk, and talk, and talk some more until they get cotton mouth, until they pass out, turn blue. But if you wanted to stop a bill, you had to physically stand there and argue your case, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. Today, you don't even have to speak. Just threaten a filibuster, and the bill stalls. Critics call that the zombie filibuster, and that rule has suddenly become the biggest obstacle standing between the SAVE Act and the Senate vote, which means the spotlight now shifts to one person. That one person is John Thune, because as Senate leader, John Thune controls what gets brought to the Senate floor for a vote. And thanks to the move by Ken Paxton, the pressure on leadership just went through the roof. Now, think about this situation here, guys. If Senate leadership allows a vote on the SAVE Act, then suddenly Washington has to publicly take a position. No hiding, no procedural games, just a vote. But if leadership refuses to bring it to the floor, then critics will immediately ask, well, why? And that is why Paxton's move has people in Washington, D.C. talking, because what started as a Texas Senate race has just turned into a national spotlight on the entire Senate leadership structure, and the pressure is only increasing. Just when you thought this situation couldn't get any more interesting, another Texas voice jumps into the middle of the debate. No matter what race or background you have, whether you're urban or rural, whether you're black or white, Hispanic, whether you're male or female, it's polling at 80, 85, 90 percent across the country. It's because it's common sense. The American people want a sovereign nation. They understand that voter ID is common sense to vote. They want only American citizens to vote in American elections, and this legislation does that. And the SAVE America Act is now headed to the Senate, and we certainly hope that the make the greatest deliberative body a great deliberative body again. Go to the floor of the Senate and take this up. I want to see people who want to oppose it go to the floor of the Senate and try to explain to the American people why they wouldn't support this common-sense legislation. I want to thank the Speaker. I want to thank Chairman Steyer. I want to thank all of the leadership team here. But I want to give a special shout-out and thanks to the groups and all of my friends here, but particularly Cleta Mitchell, without whom we wouldn't have been able to get this drafted in the first place and get this bill across the finish line here in the House. So Roy, he's not just commenting on the situation. He's directly connected to the legislation at the center of this whole story because he helped author the SAVE Act in the House. And Roy has been very clear about something. He says the Senate already has everything it needs to move this bill forward. No fancy tricks, no massive rule changes. Just bring it to the floor and vote. Roy even pointed to polling showing strong public support for voter verification measures, support that crosses political lines, which makes the situation even more uncomfortable for Washington. Because if the bill is popular and the votes exist, then the obvious question becomes, why hasn't the Senate acted yet? And this is exactly the pressure Ken Paxton's strategy is creating. But now we get to the part of the story that really makes Washington absolutely nervous, the numbers. Because once you look at the math, this situation becomes even more explosive. All right, guys, I want to go ahead and break this down in the simplest way possible. In the United States, there are 100 senators. Normally, major legislation requires 60 votes because of the filibuster rule. But if that rule changes, or if the process moves forward differently, a bill could pass with a simple majority. That means 50 votes. And then one more vote to break the tie. And that is where the Vice President of the United States enters the picture, J.D. Vance. Now, as Vice President J.D. Vance, he has the constitutional power to cast the deciding vote in a tied Senate. Which means, if the number lines up, well, the SAVE Act could theoretically pass with 50 senators plus J.D. Vance's tiebreaker vote. So now, suddenly, Ken Paxton's challenge becomes much bigger. Because he's basically saying, the path is there. The votes could exist. So why hasn't it happened? And that question, well, this is exactly what's putting the entire Senate under a microscope. So this is the part of the story where the temperature really rises. Because supporters of Ken Paxton, they say his move didn't just challenge John Cornyn. They say it exposed something bigger. Much bigger. The political culture inside Washington, D.C. Here's the argument that they're making. If the SAVE Act really has broad public support, and if the Senate could theoretically pass it, then what exactly is stopping it? Because supporters say the real obstacle isn't necessarily Democrats. They argue the bigger obstacle is hesitation inside the Republican establishment. Now, this is where you start hearing the phrase, critics love to use, the uni-party. Anybody heard that before? Yeah, the idea that politicians from both parties sometimes protect the system rather than challenge it. Now, whether people agree with this argument or not, one thing is undeniable. Paxton's move forced the debate out into the open. And suddenly, the spotlight isn't just on John Cornyn anymore. It's now on the entire Senate. This actually brings us to the bigger picture. Because the story isn't really just about a Senate race in Texas. It's about something much larger. Power, direction, and the future of the Republican party. On the one side, you have the long-time Washington establishment, people like John Cornyn, who have spent decades inside the system. On the other side, you've got figures like Ken Paxton, who are running as disruptors. You've got candidates who say Washington needs a shock to the system. And hovering over all of it is Donald J. Trump. Because his endorsement could still reshape the entire race. But regardless of what happens next, one thing is already clear. Paxton managed to do something very rare in politics. He changed the conversation. He turned a Senate race into a national debate about election laws, Senate rules, and the direction of the Republican party. And so now the question that everybody in Washington is asking is simple. Who blinks first? Now, if you enjoyed this breakdown, don't forget to subscribe. And if you made it this far in the video, go ahead and hit the like button on your way out. Totally appreciate you guys. We'll see you next time.