特朗普总统在得克萨斯州和俄克拉荷马州的多个竞选活动中开玩笑称，得克萨斯州参议院共和党候选人肯·帕克斯顿是“个讨厌鬼”，并承认他“有点争议性”。距离11月大选仅数周，特朗普对自己背书的一位候选人作出如此坦率的评论实属罕见。特朗普周四在得克萨斯州登顿市的彼得比尔特汽车公司工厂表示：“当我遭受激进左翼的猛烈攻击时——比几乎任何人都难以承受的攻击——肯·帕克斯顿比任何人都更坚定地站在我身边。我必须永远记住这一点，因为有时候他确实是个讨厌鬼，说实话。”
President Trump quipped that Texas Senate GOP candidate Ken Paxton was “a pain in the ass” and acknowledged he was “a little controversial” during several stops in the Lone Star State and Oklahoma — unusually candid remarks about one of his own endorsees just weeks out from the November elections. “When I was being hit by the radical left very hard -- harder than very few people could have withstood it, I was being hit -- Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody,” Trump said at a Peterbilt Motors Company plant in Denton, Texas on Thursday. “And I have to always remember that because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest,” he added.
他补充道：“顺便问一下，他在这儿吗？哦，他在那儿——很好。我甚至不知道他是否在场。我不管！”
“Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is -- good. I didn't even know if he's here. I don't care!”
稍后在俄克拉荷马州杜兰特的竞选集会上，总统再次赞扬了得克萨斯州总检察长，同时承认其他人可能认为他是一位更具争议性的候选人。特朗普说：“我们将送肯·帕克斯顿进入美国参议院，因为他是——无论你喜欢他还是不喜欢他——他有点争议性，只是稍微有点。但无论你是否喜欢他，他可能是全国最好的，或者至少是其中最好的总检察长。”
During a campaign rally later in Durant, Okla., the president lauded the Texas attorney general again while acknowledging that others saw him as a more contentious candidate. “We're going to send Ken Paxton to the United States Senate because he is -- whether you love him or don't love him -- he's a little controversial, just slightly,” Trump said. “But whether you love him or not, he's probably the best or certainly one of the best but the best" attorneys general in the country.
《国会山报》已联系帕克斯顿竞选团队寻求置评。今年秋天，帕克斯顿将与民主党人詹姆斯·塔拉里科竞争约翰·科宁（共和党-得克萨斯州）在参议院的席位。根据决策桌总部（Decision Desk HQ）汇总的民调平均数据，塔拉里科以48%对45%领先于帕克斯顿。帕克斯顿出席了彼得比尔特工厂的参观活动。本周早些时候，帕克斯顿因一段泄露的音频而登上头条，在这段音频中，这位得克萨斯州共和党参议院候选人抱怨说，共和党的中期选举大会损害了他的民调支持率。
The Hill has reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment. Paxton is running against Democrat James Talarico for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) seat in the upper chamber this fall. A polling average of the race compiled by Decision Desk HQ shows Talarico ahead of Paxton at 48 percent and 45 percent, respectively. Paxton, who was present at the Peterbilt plant visit, made headlines earlier this week when leaked audio of the Texas GOP Senate candidate surfaced, where Paxton could be heard complaining that the Republicans’ midterm convention hurt his polling.
“说实话，那些数字——当我们举办那次大会时——我们的数字下降了。所有人的数字都下降了。”
“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good,” Paxton said in the leaked audio clip, which was obtained and reported by The New York Times.
“现在，是的，情况不妙，”帕克斯顿在泄露的音频片段中说，该片段由《纽约时报》获取并报道。帕克斯顿的竞选团队猛烈抨击了对泄露音频的报道，当时表示，“这是《纽约时报》更多经过操纵的胡言乱语，旨在制造一个并不存在的故事，”同时暗示帕克斯顿的支持率在过去一个月里只增不减。然而，特朗普关于总统一位核心盟友的言论却异常坦率。
Paxton’s campaign slammed the reporting of the leaked audio, saying at the time, “this is more manipulated nonsense from The New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist,” while suggesting Paxton’s numbers have only improved over the last month. Yet, Trump’s remarks are notably candid about one of the president’s top allies.
特朗普的“让美国再次伟大”公司超级政治行动委员会（MAGA Inc. super PAC）已斥资2000万美元支持帕克斯顿，因为一些全国性共和党人如科宁拒绝帮助这位深陷丑闻的候选人筹款。与此同时，一个与参议院共和党领导层有关联的超级政治行动委员会准备斥资至少1亿美元支持帕克斯顿。非党派选举分析机构“库克政治报告”将这个德克萨斯州的空缺参议员席位评为“势均力敌”。
Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has already spent $20 million to support Paxton, as some national Republicans like Cornyn have refused to help the scandal-ridden candidate with fundraising. Meanwhile, a super PAC linked to Senate Republican leadership is poised to spend at least $100 million to support Paxton. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the open Texas Senate seat a “toss-up.”