James Talarico Epically Blasts Trump And Senate Opponent Over What It Means To Be A 'Real Man'

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico criticized his opponent in November's election, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as President Donald Trump in a speech about what it means to be a "real man" after facing regular attacks on his masculinity.

Trump has described Talarico as “a weird—a weird—candidate,” a line that was quickly incorporated into an advertisement from Paxton, who argued that that Talarico is unfit to represent Texans partly because of his supposed veganism. Members of the right-wing have followed suit and described Talarico as an “effeminate, estrogenetic, catty, and totally embarrassing” candidate.

Talarico decided to address these criticisms by sharing footage from a speech he gave at a campaign event, writing on X:

"There’s been a lot of talk in this race about what makes a "real man." A man does what’s right when no one is watching. He upholds his commitments to his family and neighbors. He doesn’t lie, cheat, & steal his way through life. Real men serve others. Weak men serve themselves."

In the attached video, he says:

"There's been a lot of talk in this campaign about what it means to be a 'real man.' I was born to a single mom who worked overtime at a hotel to provide for me and the luckiest day of our lives was when we met my adoptive dad, Mark Talarico, the man who gave me his last name, the man who raised me as his own."

"Every Saturday morning, my dad would mow our lawn and then, without anybody asking him, he would go next door and mow our neighbors' lawn because she was elderly and a widow. He never talked about it. He just did it because that's what a man does."

"Call me old-fashioned but a man takes responsibility. He upholds his commitments to his family and his neighbors and he does what's right even when no one is watching."

"Here's what real men don't do: They don't lie and cheat their way through life, they don't enrich themselves by stealing from other people, and they don't sell their soul to the highest bidder. Real men serve others. Weak men serve themselves."

You can see what Talarico said in the video below.

Talarico's remarks doubled as an attack on Paxton's fitness for office, contrasting his own definition of masculinity with the behavior of both Trump—who has lied and grifted for decades—and Paxton, arguing that neither exemplifies the character voters should reward.

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.

Given these facts, Talarico's comments about what voters should expect from "real men" resonated with many.

Talarico's post came just a day after Trump sat down for an interview with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.

Trump, who has previously called Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett—whom Talarico defeated in a primary in March" as "low IQ," insisted Crockett would still be a better choice for Texas than Talarico.

He repeated his claim that Talarico is a "vegan" and said Talarico believes in "six genders," attacking him for standing up transgender youth.

For months, the right-wing has claimed Talarico wants to "mutilate children," criticizing him for condemning efforts to roll back gender-affirming care and other protections. Talarico has said he "loves" transgender children who continue to "advocate for their own humanity" despite culture war attacks.