Trump jokingly calls Paxton a ‘pain in the ass’ at Texas event

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President Donald Trump jokingly described Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton as “a pain in the ass” during remarks in Denton, Texas, on Thursday – the latest in a long line of jabs he has made about his staunch ally who is running in a critical race for the GOP.

Trump praised Paxton’s loyalty, saying that when he had faced criticism in the past, Paxton was “at my side more than anybody.” Then he quipped, “And I have to always remember that because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. I’ll be honest.”

Trump has repeatedly insulted Paxton in public remarks, even though he endorsed Paxton over a safer candidate in the Republican primary and has generally sought to boost his campaign. He has poked fun at the way the Texas attorney general dresses and talks, including at the GOP’s midterm convention, which was held in Paxton’s home state and focused heavily on him and his race.

“Some may not like the way he dresses,” Trump said, adding: “I don’t.”

Paxton has not in any way bit back – and Trump’s insults are often accompanied by praise for how Paxton does his job. But The New York Times on Wednesday published audio of Paxton privately complaining to conservative donors and lobbyists that the convention did more harm than good.

“So, to be honest with you, the numbers – when we did that convention – it dropped our numbers,” the Texas attorney general said. “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”

Pressed earlier Thursday by CNN’s Kristen Holmes on if he had spoken to Paxton following that leaked audio, Trump said, “No, I haven’t.” When reporters asked about the audio Wednesday afternoon during an Oval Office event, he said he hadn’t heard it.

“Is he here?” Trump said in Denton. “By the way – oh, there he is. Good. I didn’t even know if he’s here.”

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周四，唐纳德·特朗普总统在德克萨斯州丹顿发表讲话时，开玩笑地称德克萨斯州共和党参议员候选人肯·帕克斯顿是“一个讨厌鬼”。这是他长期以来对这位坚定盟友的又一次嘲讽，帕克斯顿正在为共和党参加一场至关重要的竞选。

特朗普称赞帕克斯顿的忠诚，说过去他面临批评时，帕克斯顿“比任何人都更站在我这边”。然后他打趣道：“我必须时刻记住这一点，因为他有时候确实挺烦人的。说实话。”

尽管特朗普在共和党初选中支持帕克斯顿而非一位更稳妥的候选人，并且一直以来都试图提振帕克斯顿的竞选，但他还是多次在公开场合侮辱帕克斯顿。他曾多次嘲讽这位德克萨斯州总检察长的穿着和谈吐，包括在共和党中期选举大会上——该大会在帕克斯顿的家乡德克萨斯州举行，并且重点讨论了帕克斯顿及其竞选活动。

“有些人可能不喜欢他的穿着打扮，”特朗普说，“我也不喜欢。”

帕克斯顿并未以任何方式反击——特朗普的侮辱往往伴随着对帕克斯顿工作表现的赞扬。但《纽约时报》周三公布了一段录音，录音中帕克斯顿私下向保守派捐款人和游说者抱怨说，这次大会弊大于利。

“说实话，自从我们召开那次大会以来，我们的支持率下降了，”德克萨斯州总检察长说。“所有人的支持率都下降了。现在，情况确实不太乐观。”

周四早些时候，CNN记者克里斯汀·霍姆斯追问特朗普，在录音泄露后是否与帕克斯顿谈过话，特朗普回答说：“没有。”周三下午，记者在椭圆形办公室举行的一次活动中问及这段录音时，他表示自己没有听过。

“他来了吗？”特朗普在丹顿说道。“对了——哦，他在那儿。太好了。我之前都不知道他来不来。”