Donald Trump has endorsed the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, in the state’s Republican primary, bolstering his bid to unseat the incumbent US senator, John Cornyn.

The US president praised Paxton, who has pitched himself as a political warrior for Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, as an “America First Patriot” in a post on social media on Tuesday.

The intervention, which comes ahead of next week’s May primary runoff, comes despite warnings from other leading Republicans that Conryn would be a stronger candidate in November’s general elections.

Democrats have nominated the Texas state representative, James Talarico, as their candidate for Senate.

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

But Paxton has been embroiled in a series of controversies. He was acquitted in a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges. He also reached a deal in 2024 to end a long-running securities fraud case.

More details soon…