Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is signaling that he would work with President Donald Trump on several MAGA priorities if voters send him to the Senate. During a podcast released Monday, Talarico identified healthcare, childcare, and housing as possible areas for cooperation, as reported [1] by Fox News.
“I would love, as the next U.S. senator from Texas, to work with Donald Trump to actually fulfill some of the promise of his political project,” Talarico told Steve Bartlett, host of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast.
Talarico argued that MAGA had promised to reshape the federal government to serve Americans who felt ignored. He also maintained that Trump still had an opportunity to pursue that goal.
“The promise of MAGA was that we were going to transform this government so that it delivered for the people who have been left behind, the people who have been forgotten in this country. And there’s still time to do that,” Talarico continued.
Talarico, a Texas state representative, is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a crucial midterm contest. Trump has repeatedly mocked and criticized Talarico during the months leading up to that race.
“If the president wants to work with me or with any Democrat to expand healthcare access, I’m there. If he wants to make sure that every single kid in this country gets high-quality, accessible childcare, I’m there,” Talarico said.
Talarico also pointed to housing as another potential opening for cooperation with Trump. He said he would support cutting regulations to help build millions of new homes.
“If he wants to tackle the housing problem — Donald Trump is a builder — if he wants us to slash the red tape in this country so we could build millions of new homes and ensure everyone in this country has a place to call home, that I’m there. I’ll work with him to do it. I would love to do that,” Talarico said.
The Democrat went further, suggesting that a successful midterm election for his party could produce what he called a “rebirth” for Trump’s presidency. His argument centered on voters electing leaders who would check the president.
“If the people of Texas, if the people of this country elect leaders who are going to check the president, I think it could be a rebirth for his presidency,” Talarico said.
Talarico: “I would love as the next US senator from Texas to work with Donald Trump to actually fulfill some of the promise of his political project. Because the promise of MAGA was that we were gonna transform this government so that it delivered for the people who have been left time, been forgotten. And there’s still time to do that on a bipartisan basis.”
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 2, 2026 [2]
Talarico also expressed hope that a Democratic victory Tuesday would serve as a “wake-up call” for Trump and his administration. He claimed the administration should reverse course if Democrats secured a supermajority in Congress.
The outreach follows months of Trump hammering Talarico on social media and campaigning personally for Paxton. On Truth Social, Trump has repeatedly called the Democrat “TalaFREAKo,” described him as “unelectable” in Texas and referred to him as a vegan, which Talarico denies.
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was not buying Talarico’s sudden pitch for cooperation. During a Tuesday morning appearance on “FOX & Friends,” she questioned whether his intentions were authentic.
“I don’t buy it for one second,” Leavitt said. She accused Democrats of presenting themselves as moderates after securing their party nominations.
“They talk like the radical leftist that they are until they win their Democrat nomination. And then they try to fool voters by appearing moderate so that they can win their votes,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt warned that Talarico would govern as an extreme liberal if elected despite his campaign trail posture. She cited his past statements and positions on Christianity, gender, the southern border, immigration enforcement and prisons.
“He wants to abolish ICE. He wants to open our prisons,” Leavitt said. She argued that Talarico would not work with Trump to secure the border or continue deporting illegal aliens.
“This is somebody who would join the ranks of the extremely liberal Democrat Party to engage in lawfare and obstructionism of all of the common sense policies that the Trump administration is continuing to pursue. And that’s exactly why the great people of Texas need to get out and vote,” Leavitt concluded.
The Talarico campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for further comment. The competing messages arrived as Texas voters prepared to decide the closely watched Senate contest.