President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on James Talarico, a Democratic candidate vying for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, with a new, graphic insult involving the consumption of meat. Talarico is currently leading in multiple polls in the race for the deep red state.
"He’s terrible. He’s radical left. Now he says he loves meat," Trump said, speaking to Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden. "You know what he does? He eats meat, and he goes outside, and he throws up all over the place."
Trump suggested that Talarico's alleged reaction to eating meat would be detrimental in Texas, a state where the president stated, "if you don’t eat meat, you’re in deep trouble."
This latest insult follows previous attempts by Trump to characterize Talarico, with right-wing figures also trying to portray the candidate as a vegan or vegetarian. In May, Talarico responded to such characterizations by saying, "I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment," referencing the legal troubles of the Republican Texas Attorney General.
Trump's previous insults, including comparing Talarico to the MAD magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman and calling him "Talafreako," have not diminished Talarico's standing. The Talarico campaign even capitalized on the latter insult by selling merchandise. Trump's new moniker for the candidate is "Talacreepo."
Since July, Talarico has held leads in seven out of nine polls, according to RealClear Polling, with an average advantage of 2.4 percentage points in the aggregate.