Trump tears into ‘Missing In Action’ James Talarico after Texas candidate diagnosed with flu

Trump tears into ‘Missing In Action’ James Talarico after Texas candidate diagnosed with flu Trump also rolled out a nickname for the Democratic nominee: ‘James TalaFREAKo’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in President Trump has torn into Texan Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico in a late-night social media rant. The president, whose party has been forced to contend with grim polling figures ahead of the midterm elections, dubbed Talarico “MISSING IN ACTION.” “Ladies and Gentlemen, upon information and belief, James TalaFREAKo, who is running for the United States Senate in Texas, is MISSING IN ACTION!” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post uploaded on Wednesday night. “Where is he? What is wrong with him? Bad rumors are coming out,” Trump said, referring to Talarico’s absence from the campaign trail due to a flu diagnosis. Amid public disapproval of the war in Iran and frustration over the president’s handling of the cost of living, Talarico is locked in a neck-and-neck race with Republican nominee Ken Paxton despite Texas typically being a ruby red state. As the looming midterm elections draw closer, Trump suggested in his post that Talarico go head-to-head with Paxton in a debate. Responding to Trump’s post, Talarico wrote on X that he was willing to debate Paxton. “President Trump just said Ken Paxton should debate. I agree,” Talarico declared. “Ball’s in your court.” Talarico previously challenged Paxton to a debate himself. In a video shared on social media, the Democrat called his opponent to invite him to a debate on Fox News although the latter did not pick up the phone. The president has repeatedly targeted Talarico in the tight U.S. Senate race. On Wednesday, Trump held a rally for Paxton in which the commander-in-chief labeled Talarico a “‘dumocrat’ communist.” During Wednesday’s speech, which was interrupted by protesters at least a dozen times, Trump also made a series of claims about Talarico’s supposed diet. “He said all of a sudden...he’s a vegan,” Trump said, referring to Talarico. Talarico denied the claim while appearing on The MeidasTouch Podcast back in May, stating that he felt good about his chances in November “if all they have on me is lying about me being vegan.” Trump went on to suggest that eating meat has made the Democratic nominee ill. “I hear the guy has disappeared - nobody knows. You know where he is?” Trump asked. “He's sick because he's forced to eat meat for political reasons and he's throwing up all over the place.” Talarico has already offered an explanation for his absence from the campaign trail, telling the U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum that he had been diagnosed with the flu after going to urgent care. “If I was passing on this illness to somebody and got someone’s grandmother or someone’s baby sick, I couldn’t live with myself, so I thought the best thing to do was to put safety first and put everyone’s health first,” he said. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] TALARICO *FORTEXAS*