Trump Makes Third Trip to Texas in Final Week, as Musk Spending Tops $158 Million

President Donald Trump was in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, his third visit to Texas this month, to rally behind Republican candidates before next week's midterm elections. Trump will later travel to Lubbock, where he plans to appear with Senate candidate Ken Paxton and his Democratic challenger, James Talarico. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly joined Trump on stage in Corpus Christi.

Trump's stop in Texas comes as Republicans face competitive races across several states. He has traveled through Mississippi, Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Iowa over the past week, with planned visits to Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas and Iowa. Trump won all those states in 2024. In Corpus Christi, Trump spoke about an arrangement with Venezuela to process more of its crude oil in Texas refineries. "We're celebrating the greatest oil victory in history," Trump said.

The Senate race between Paxton and Talarico has become one of the most expensive in the country. Ad tracking firm AdImpact reports that more than $563 million has been spent on advertising between the primary and general elections. Elon Musk has put at least $158 million into efforts to defeat Talarico, giving that amount to the Senate Leadership Fund, which then gave the same sum to the Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton's campaign. Musk wrote on X that "Talarico is lunatic left" in a post to his 241 million followers.

Talarico has responded by naming Musk in his stump speeches. He has argued that wealthy donors have corrupted politics for too long and that this corruption has fueled the affordability crisis. Paxton has not discussed Musk in his own remarks. Trump has called Paxton a "good man" and has argued that Talarico is too liberal for Texas.

In the governor's race, Democrat Gina Hinojosa is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term. Hinojosa filed suit to view communications between Musk and Abbott, arguing the case shows how close Abbott is to wealthy figures in Texas. A judge ruled on Monday that Hinojosa, as a state representative, must be able to review over 1,000 unredacted pages by Thursday.

Rubio traveled with Trump in his role as national security adviser, according to a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said Rubio "needs time with the president on all kinds of issues" and that being on the plane gives him a chance to discuss these items. Rubio ran for president in 2016 and is considered a top prospect for 2028. He has not said whether he will run again. "It's an honor to work for the greatest country in the world, for the greatest president in the history of the United States of America," Rubio said before exiting the stage.