'Think about what this means': Trump's weakness exposed as candidate begs for cash on TV
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton walks through the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Ken Paxton's recent appearance on Fox News left one political analyst stunned.

Paxton, the Texas attorney general running against Democrat James Talarico for Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) seat, recently appeared on Fox News with host Maria Bartiromo, where he all but begged donors to give to his campaign. That happened at a time when CNN had reported that Talarico's campaign had significantly more cash on hand than Paxton.

"We need help now, because James Talarico has been spending $ 3 million or $4 million a week on TV for the last month.
So I want to compete," Paxton told Bartiromo.

David Pakman, host of "The David Pakman Show" on YouTube, argued in a new video that Paxton's appearance revealed the "underlying weakness" of Trump's political model.

"Think about what this means. A Republican nominee in Texas using national TV to beg for money like a telethon because a Democrat is crushing him," Pakman said. "And it's not just any Republican. This is the guy Trump selected. Trump intervened in the Republican primary. He endorsed Paxton over Cornyn ... but just winning the primary and building a general election campaign are two very different things."

"So Trump was able to help Paxton secure the nomination, without a doubt, but it doesn't seem to be making donors super excited about giving Ken Paxton any money," he added. "And this is the underlying weakness of the Trump model. Loyalty is the most important thing. We know that electability is not so much. Trump has chosen the candidate who goes further to flatter Trump."