Talarico Tells a Podcast He Would Work With Trump to 'Fulfill Some of the Promise' of MAGA, and Leavitt Answers: 'I Don't Buy It for One Second'
On Election Day, Fox News highlights the Texas Democrat's offer to team up with the president on health care, child care and housing. Leavitt, a former White House press secretary, calls it a campaign pose. Talarico's campaign had not responded.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, said he is willing to work with President Trump if he wins, Fox News reports, citing a podcast released Monday.
What he said. On "The Diary of a CEO," Talarico told host Steven Bartlett: "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." He described the promise of MAGA as transforming government so it delivers for "the people who have been left behind," and said "there's still time to do that."
Where he would start. Talarico named health care access, child care and housing. On housing he said, "Donald Trump is a builder," and that he would help "slash the red tape" to build millions of homes.
The check on the president. Talarico also said that if voters elect leaders who "check the president," it could be "a rebirth for his presidency," and that a Democratic win Tuesday could be a "wake-up call" for the administration. Fox reports he said the administration should "reverse course" if it faced a Democratic supermajority.
The backdrop. Fox notes Trump has mocked Talarico for months on Truth Social, including with the nickname "TalaFREAKo," and has campaigned in person for Talarico's opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Leavitt's response. Appearing Tuesday morning on "Fox & Friends," former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "I don't buy it for one second." She said Democrats talk like radicals until they win a nomination and then appear moderate. She argued Talarico would govern as "a far left extreme liberal," pointing to past statements and positions on the border and ICE. Those characterizations are hers.
What we could not check. We have not listened to the podcast and rely on Fox's quotes. Fox says the Talarico campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to its request for comment. We did not verify the past statements Leavitt cites.