{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","slug":"trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","title":"Trump calls Ken Paxton 'pain in the ass' at Texas rally","subtitle":"President Trump made the remark about the Texas Attorney General during a campaign stop for the Senate candidate.","excerpt":"Donald Trump called Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton \"a pain in the ass\" during a rally in Denton, Texas. The comment came after reports of leaked audio where Paxton allegedly criticized a recent Republican convention headlined by Trump.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T19:05:43.433Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-02T18:49:37.562Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-02T19:05:43.433Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":50,"critic":65,"hype":45,"notes":{"trust":"Central claim attributed to named body, but relies on anonymous sourcing for leaked audio.","critic":"Reports include quotes, attribute claims, and explain the context and potential next steps.","hype":"Headlines use strong language like 'wild joke' and 'insults' but the body is more measured."}},"tags":["#DonaldTrump","#KenPaxton","#USPolitics","#SenateRace","#TexasPolitics"],"entities":["Donald Trump","Ken Paxton","James Talarico","Nick Maddux"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Donald Trump called Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton \"a pain in the ass\" during a rally in Denton, Texas.","The remark followed reports of leaked audio in which Paxton allegedly told donors that a recent Republican convention Trump headlined negatively affected GOP poll numbers.","Paxton's senior adviser disputed the leaked audio, calling it 'manipulated nonsense' and stating internal polls show Paxton leading.","Trump reaffirmed his endorsement of Paxton for the U.S. Senate despite the remarks."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Donald Trump publicly referred to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as \"a pain in the ass\" during a rally in Denton, Texas. Trump made the comment while campaigning for Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate. The president also questioned Paxton's attendance at the rally, asking \"Is he here, by the way?\" before spotting him in the crowd."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The remark followed reports of leaked audio in which Paxton allegedly told donors that a recent Republican convention headlined by Trump had a negative impact on GOP poll numbers. Paxton's senior adviser, Nick Maddux, disputed the report, calling the audio \"manipulated nonsense\" and stating that internal polls show Paxton leading. Trump reaffirmed his endorsement of Paxton for the Senate, calling him a \"special man\" and one of the most loyal people in his political orbit."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on leaked audio"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Reports of leaked audio quoted Ken Paxton telling donors that a recent Republican convention Trump headlined negatively impacted GOP poll numbers. Paxton's senior adviser, Nick Maddux, disputed this report, calling it 'manipulated nonsense' and stating internal polls show Paxton leading. The New York Times was cited by RadarOnline as the source of the leaked audio report."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated digests mention the specific details of the leaked audio report regarding Paxton's alleged comments about poll numbers dropping after the convention. The left-rated and centre-rated reports, including full reports from The Independent and RadarOnline, included these details and Paxton's defence against them."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"thedailybs.com","url":"https://thedailybs.com/2026/10/02/trump-calls-ken-paxton-a-pain-in-the-ass-revives-talarico-vomiting-story-then-dennis-rodman-enters-the-speech","headline":"Trump calls Ken Paxton a ‘pain in the ass,’ revives Talarico vomiting story — then Dennis Rodman enters the speech","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T18:49:37.562Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent (US)","url":"https://the-independent.com/bulletin/news/trump-ken-paxton-fight-midterms-texas-b3060599.html","headline":"Trump gets petty with Ken Paxton during crucial Texas rally","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T18:03:56.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/trump-ken-paxton-fight-midterms-texas-b3060599.html","headline":"Trump gets petty with Ken Paxton during crucial Texas rally","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T18:03:56.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Times of India","url":"https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/one-of-the-most-trump-endorses-paxton-then-drops-a-wild-pain-in-the-a-joke/videoshow/134644601.cms","headline":"'One of the most...': Trump endorses Paxton, then drops a wild ‘pain in the a**’ joke","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T17:37:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"RadarOnline","url":"https://radaronline.com/p/donald-trump-insults-ken-paxton-again-during-rally","headline":"Donald Trump Insults Ken Paxton Again During Texas Rally — After GOP Senate Nominee Got Dissing Prez in Leaked Audio","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T16:52:11.902Z"},{"sourceName":"LGBTQ Nation","url":"https://lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/surprised-to-see-ken-paxton-standing-right-there-when-he-called-him-a-pain-in-the-a","headline":"Trump surprised to see Ken Paxton standing right there when he called him a “pain in the a**”","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T14:00:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"dailymail.com","url":"https://dailymail.com/galleries/article-16178619/Trump-jokes-Ken-Paxton-pain-whilst-speaking-rally.html","headline":"Trump jokes Ken Paxton is 'a pain' whilst speaking at rally","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T13:08:51.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Crooks and Liars","url":"https://crooksandliars.com/2026/10/trump-tells-tx-rally-crowd-ken-paxton-pain","headline":"Trump Tells TX Rally Crowd Ken Paxton Is A 'Pain In The A**'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T07:56:46.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Mediaite","url":"https://mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-tells-crowd-ken-paxton-is-a-pain-in-the-a-before-asking-is-he-here-by-the-way","headline":"Trump Tells Crowd Ken Paxton Is ‘A Pain in the A**’ Before Asking, ‘Is He Here, by the Way?’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T23:13:41.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":56,"centre":22,"right":22},"count":{"left":5,"centre":2,"right":2},"totalSources":9,"untracked":0,"rated":9,"observedAt":"2026-10-02T19:00:41.460155+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-02T19:15:28.130Z","closedAt":null,"checks":1,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["Left-rated reports from The Independent, LGBTQ Nation, Crooks and Liars, and Mediaite focused on Trump's insult to Paxton. The Independent's full report stated Trump called Paxton \"a pain in the ass\" and noted Paxton's tight U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. LGBTQ Nation and Mediaite highlighted Trump's surprise at seeing Paxton after making the insult. Crooks and Liars noted Trump's history of publicly insulting Paxton, referencing previous comments about Paxton's appearance and speaking ability."],"centre":["Centre-rated reports from RadarOnline and dailymail.com highlighted Trump's insult to Paxton during the rally. RadarOnline's full report detailed the exchange, including Trump's comment about Paxton being \"a pain in the a--\" and his subsequent questioning of his attendance. It also mentioned the convention controversy and earlier digs at Paxton's appearance. Dailymail.com's digest noted the comment was made while Paxton tries to defeat Democrat James Talarico in a race that could decide control of the Senate."],"right":["Right-rated reports from thedailybs.com and Times of India focused on Trump's endorsement of Paxton alongside the insult. Thedailybs.com's digest mentioned Trump calling Paxton \"a pain in the ass\" while simultaneously praising him as the country's best attorney general, and also noted the appearance of Dennis Rodman and a story about Democrat James Talarico. Times of India's digest described Trump's remarks as \"unusually candid\" about an endorsed candidate just weeks before the election."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":null,"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"low":2,"mixed":4,"high":3},"ownershipDistribution":{"billionaire":3,"independent":1,"corporation":2},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Mediaite","url":"https://mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-tells-crowd-ken-paxton-is-a-pain-in-the-a-before-asking-is-he-here-by-the-way","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T23:13:41.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","count":2},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United 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(US)","url":"https://the-independent.com/bulletin/news/trump-ken-paxton-fight-midterms-texas-b3060599.html","headline":"Trump gets petty with Ken Paxton during crucial Texas rally","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T18:03:56.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":"The Independent"},{"name":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/trump-ken-paxton-fight-midterms-texas-b3060599.html","headline":"Trump gets petty with Ken Paxton during crucial Texas rally","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T18:03:56.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United 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They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Trump calls Ken Paxton 'pain in the ass' at Texas rally\", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-ken-paxton-pain-in-the-ass-at-texas-rally.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}