By Karim Hammam
Donald Trump attacked Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico at a midterm campaign rally, claiming the Democrat secretly loathes meat and mocking him as a vegan despite Talarico’s repeated denials.
Trump imitates Talarico eating meat
Speaking in Corpus Christi on Tuesday while stumping for Republican Ken Paxton, Trump speculated about Talarico’s recent absence from the campaign trail. He suggested Talarico had been “food poisoned by meat because he can’t stand it,” and performed hand gestures imitating the candidate reluctantly eating barbecue before pretending to vomit behind a tent.
Vegan claims and pronunciation anecdote
Trump said he had not known how to pronounce “vegan” until first lady Melania Trump corrected him, adding, “I really do like the meat.” He insisted Talarico “has been a vegan and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.”
Social media ridicule
The president’s performance drew immediate mockery on X, with users posting memes and commenting that the spectacle “can’t be real life.” The reaction follows a series of unusual remarks by Trump about other public figures amid declining approval ratings and gloomy midterm predictions.
Further warnings on meat and oil
Earlier in the evening, Trump warned the crowd that Texas would “go off meat, you’ll go off oil” if Talarico defeats Paxton. He also joked that his own supporters might not afford a hamburger at Mar-a-Lago. Similar claims about Talarico vomiting after eating meat were made at a Denton, Texas, event on October 1.
