Texas Democrat James Talarico Has Epic Response To MAGA Opponent's Accusation That He's A Secret Vegan

Texas Senate nominee James Talarico had the perfect response after MAGA Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused him of being a secret vegan.

Talarico is not actually vegan—though there is nothing inherently wrong with veganism. Even so, Paxton has already begun attacking his likely Democratic challenger before he has officially entered the race, arguing that Talarico is unfit to represent Texans partly because of his supposed veganism.

Before defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary, Paxton said the following about Talarico while eating at a barbecue spot in Katy, Texas:

"He's a vegan! We know that James Talarico would never come here because he doesn’t eat any of that stuff. We never had a US senator who didn’t eat meat, especially Texas barbecue.”

Talarico responded to Paxton's attacks during an interview with Ben Meiselas on the MeidasTouch Podcast; Meiselas called the attacks "ridiculous," adding:

"My thesis ultimately is, you know, maybe that stuff worked two years ago or three years ago, when people were also being pitched, we're gonna make your life so much better. And it's going to be affordable on day one. And we're going to do so much things, it's going to be great."

"But like, the bill is now due. And I think whether you're in Texas or whatever, you're like, okay, you promised me this stuff, it ain't happening right now. And you're not gonna just divide and conquer."

"You're not gonna make me vote for you by saying the word tofu over and over again. Like, where the heck is my DOGE dividend check that you promised? And where's, where's, where's, where's my savings that you promised me? You screwed me."

To that, Talarico replied with this zinger:

"That's right. That's right. And you know, I'm an eighth generation Texan. I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment. And if all they have on me is lying about me being a vegan, I feel pretty good about our chances this November."

Talarico was, of course, referencing Paxton's long history of legal troubles.

Paxton was indicted in 2015 on state securities fraud charges tied to conduct that predated his time in office, though he pleaded not guilty. The case was ultimately dismissed last year after he completed a pretrial agreement that required restitution payments to victims, ethics training, and community service.

In May 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted 121–23 to impeach Paxton, temporarily suspending him from office. The impeachment articles accused him of improperly helping a political donor who allegedly bribed him, misusing state resources, retaliating against whistleblowers, interfering in his securities fraud case, and failing to accurately disclose financial interests.

However, in September 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all impeachment charges in a 16–14 vote, allowing him to return to office.

Talarico added:

"And you're absolutely right. You know, so many of my family members, my friends, my neighbors who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, they voted for him because they thought he was going to lower costs. They thought he was going to end the forever wars. They thought he was going to release the Epstein files and drain the swamp."

"But just one year later, they've seen how he's done the exact opposite. Through his crazy tariffs, he's made everything more expensive. He has started even more conflicts around the world, including this new forever war in Iran. He has done everything he could to keep the Epstein files from seeing the light of day."

"And the swamp in Washington is bigger than it's ever been. So there's a lot of disillusionment. And what I'm trying to do is speak directly to those Texans who feel disillusioned, who feel like this system doesn't work for them, that it only works for billionaires and puppet politicians like Paxton and Cornyn."

"And I think if we can bring those Texans together across all these divisions in our politics, if we can see past the distractions and the culture war tactics, I think we can do something extraordinary. We can end 30 years of one-party rule in Texas, and we can transform American politics in the process."

"And that gets me excited every day to hit the campaign trail and talk directly to Texans about the things they actually care about."

You can hear what Talarico said in the video below.

People loved Talarico's response.

Ahead of Paxton’s victory, Fox News replayed comments from President Donald Trump earlier that day in which he said Talarico “can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas,” reinforcing the sense that Paxton had been echoing Trump’s messaging.

Trump also described Talarico as “a weird—a weird—candidate,” a line that was quickly incorporated into an advertisement from a pro-Paxton group.

Yes, this is truly the best they've got.