Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) record is receiving increased scrutiny as the Washington establishment spends tens of millions to save the embattled incumbent from a grassroots challenge by MAGA-aligned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Cornyn and his allies spent a staggering $70 million in the primary to paint the four-term career politician as a friend of President Donald Trump with a conservative record – spending that made the Texas Republican Senate primary the most expensive primary in the nation’s history. But those Washington consultant-crafted ads hide that Cornyn has spent nearly a decade working to stop President Donald Trump and more than two decades undermining the conservative movement.
From his vocal opposition to Trump’s presidential campaigns and defense of the lawfare waged against Donald Trump to his sabotaging of the America First agenda, Cornyn has consistently turned his back on Trump when it mattered most.
Cornyn Defended the Lawfare Against President Trump
Instead of defending Trump against efforts to bankrupt, defeat, and even imprison him, Cornyn attacked him and justified the actions of the radicals engaging in politically-motivated lawfare:
- When asked about the indictment and charges against President Trump in special counsel Jack Smith’s document retention case, Cornyn forcefully chastised Trump and blamed Trump for the lawfare, stating, “He’s created a circumstance for himself, which is I think very, very serious.”
- He added, “This one is basically something that he’s admitted to on the material facts, and we’ll have to see what the judge and jury does… this is out of the hands of politics now. It’s up to the courts to make the decision.”
- Cornyn condemned House Republicans for investigating Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s lawfare against Trump, stating, “I would hope they would stick to the agenda they ran on when they got elected to the majority.”
- Cornyn reacted to the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case by trying to undermine Trump electorally, saying,“The fact is, I do not think he could win the presidency.”
Cornyn Opposed Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaigns and Worked to Undermine His Political Career
Cornyn tried to stop Trump from winning the GOP nominations in 2024 and 2016 – elections when Trump was not currently in office and held little leverage over lawmakers.
- In May 2023, Cornyn said Republicans “need someone as an alternative” to Trump, he couldn’t win a general election, and that his “time had passed him by.”
- When asked about calling for the GOP to move on from Trump in 2024, Cornyn defended his remarks by saying, “In politics, unless you can win an election you’re pretty much irrelevant… I have concerns about the President’s ability to win in November.”
- In December 2022, he said, “I think [Trump is] less relevant all the time. Again, even if you capture all of the Trump voters, you may be able to win a primary but you’re not necessarily going to win a general election.”
- In February 2016, Cornyn said he was concerned Trump would be an “albatross” for down-ballot races and that “I think [Trump] certainly is a controversial figure. I think we need someone who can unify the party, as opposed to divide the party.
- As he did for Trump, Cornyn now attacks Ken Paxton as an “albatross” who cannot win a general election.
In several key moments before and after the 2020 election when Trump was president, Cornyn betrayed him.
- In December 2020, John Cornyn criticized Attorney General Paxton for leading a challenge against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin’s election results, which Paxton argued were rigged due to unconstitutional and unlawful last-minute changes. Cornyn said, “I frankly struggle to understand the legal theory of it.”
- In November 2020, Cornyn stated Biden would likely be inaugurated and condemned President Trump for taking action that he said added “to the confusion and the chaos.”
- Instead of defending Trump, Cornyn called the impeachment vote against him a “vote of conscience.”
- In October 2020, Cornyn said President Trump “let his guard down,” caused “confusion,” and “got out over his skis” on the coronavirus pandemic, creating a negative national story just weeks before the election.
Cornyn Worked Against President Trump’s Agenda and Conservative Priorities
The four-term Senator has consistently been one of Trump’s greatest critics when it comes to securing the border and building the border wall.
- John Cornyn slammed the idea of Trump’s border wall as “naïve,” stating, “[t]his idea that all you can do is build some obstacle and people won’t go come over it, or go under it, or go through it is naive.”
- Cornyn said that, “A new, giant wall between the United States and Mexico from sea to shining sea makes no sense whatsoever,” that President Trump’s border wall would rate “very low” among Texans, and that “I don’t think we’re just going to be able to solve border security with a physical barrier because people can come under, around it and through it.”
- When asked if he thought Donald Trump understood the border issue, Cornyn said, “[t]hat’s certainly not my sense.”
Cornyn sided with President Joe Biden and the radical left instead of Trump to pass the largest gun control package in decades.
- Despite Trump saying that the bill “will go down in history as the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY,” Cornyn still led the charge to pass it.
- Biden called the bill the “most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years” and specifically praised Cornyn as one of two GOP Senators who deserved credit for it.
- Cornyn implied he wanted to go even further in future gun control legislation, calling the bill a “good start” and saying the agreement was reached because he “found space for compromise.”
- He also admitted to just following Biden’s directions, saying, “President Biden said do something, and what we knew we had to do is something that would actually pass.” Cornyn also dismissed NRA opposition to the gun control bill, saying they can’t “veto good public policy.”
Cornyn’s long record of undermining Trump and the conservative agenda is coming into focus as the eyes of the nation look to Texas for the runoff. As Cornyn’s critics blast him for betraying Trump whenever he deems it politically advantageous, as well as betraying Texas voters on the issues they care about most – including border security and the Second Amendment – more about Cornyn’s record is likely to come to light.
The runoff is May 26.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.