Trump Rally Hair-Grab Caps Third Texas Visit in a Month as He Fights for a State He Won by 14 Points

Television footage shows a supporter at Donald Trump's rally in San Antonio, Texas, pulling a departing protester's hair on Wednesday, 7 October. Trump's first words afterwards were, 'Is there anything like a Trump rally?' The president was on his third Texas trip in less than a month to support Ken Paxton's Senate campaign.

Trump won Texas by almost 14 percentage points in 2024, according to state election figures. Yet Paxton, the state's attorney general, trails Democrat James Talarico in most polls since mid-September. No Democrat has won a US Senate race in Texas since 1988. Defeating Paxton on 3 November would weaken Republicans' slim Senate majority.

How the Scuffle Unfolded at the Freeman Coliseum

The protester interrupted Trump less than 10 minutes into the speech, then walked towards an exit as the crowd booed. Footage from C-SPAN, the US public affairs network, showed an older man in a red Make America Great Again cap grabbing the protester from behind and pulling him downwards. Other rallygoers then stepped in to separate the two men. C-SPAN later posted the scuffle on X, as shown in the clip below.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said its deputies removed 18 people for disruptive behaviour and arrested nobody inside, though its figures exclude San Antonio police. It also issued two criminal trespass warnings outside. Trump later claimed from the stage, without offering evidence, that someone had paid the protesters, and mocked one man's weight. Online, the progressive outlet MeidasTouch posted 'That's assault', while the pro-Trump website The Gateway Pundit ran clips of police handcuffing protesters.

Why Republicans Fear Losing Texas

Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker, leads Paxton by 51% to 49% in a Fox News poll of likely voters, within the margin of error. A New York Times/Siena University poll put Talarico six points ahead. Texas Southern University's September survey had the Democrat just one point up, at 47% to 46%. Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist, told Reuters: 'The president can inspire as much as he can repel.'

Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican first elected in 2014, stayed away from the rally. Abbott said on Monday that his campaign schedule already had him booked elsewhere. His race against Democratic state lawmaker Gina Hinojosa is on the same ballot as Paxton's. The Texas Democratic Party criticised the governor's decision. The Associated Press quoted party spokesperson Jacob Long as saying that 'suddenly Greg Abbott has somewhere else to be.'

What Happens Before Voters Decide

Trump also attacked Talarico over a recent absence from the campaign trail, which the Democrat's team blamed on the flu, and later called for him to debate Paxton. Talarico, who has agreed to four debates, replied on X that 'President Trump just said Ken Paxton should debate.' Paxton has not publicly accepted any invitation.

AdImpact projects total advertising spending in the Senate race will reach $440 million (about £329 million) by Election Day. Calvin Jillson, who teaches political science at Southern Methodist University, told Newsweek that it remained to be seen whether such spending 'will make enough of a difference'. Early voting opens on Monday, 19 October.