Texas Attorney General and Republican US Senate candidate Ken Paxton speaks at a midterm election rally in San Antonio, Texas, US October 18, 2026. REUTERS/Joel Angel Juarez/File Photo
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faced a wave of ridicule Tuesday after apparently forgetting how old the United States is while discussing the nation’s Independence Day celebration.
“So I want to finish, as you know, July 4th we celebrated something pretty cool,” Paxton, the state’s GOP Senate nominee, said. “We celebrated the 200th anniversary of our country.”
Except America celebrated its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Its 200th birthday was in 1976.
The blunder, one week before the high-stakes midterms, quickly drew mockery on social media.
“Not quite,” MeidasTouch wrote.
“Ken Paxton thinks it is 1976,” PatriotTakes posted.
Hemant Mehta, a political critic and "Jeopardy!" champion, took the joke further.
“I remember that day of our nation’s birth in 1826,” he wrote on X.
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Even Gold was less forgiving.
“Could they have nominated anyone stupider?” he wrote in a social media post, adding, “(Psst the Bicentennial was in 1976).”
A large chunk of reactions jabbed Paxton over reports that the Texas attorney general spent Independence Day in London.
“It was the 250th, Ken. …and you spent the holiday in London with a woman who wasn’t your wife,” former New Jersey Mayor Harry Zikas Jr. wrote on X. “I guess anniversaries aren’t your strong suit.”
"It was actually our 250th anniversary, but Paxton spent it in London so what would he know?" the Texas Democratic Party posted.
The embarrassing slip Tuesday came as President Donald Trump prepared to campaign in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, hoping to boost Republican candidates in the Lone Star State.
Paxton is locked in a tight race with Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in a closely watched Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber.
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