Protester is dragged to the ground by his hair as Trump fights to save Ken Paxton's crumbling Texas Senate bid

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Nearly a dozen protesters disrupted Trump's San Antonio rally Wednesday night, with one man grabbed by the hair and hauled to the ground by a MAGA supporter as the president stumped for embattled Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Trump fired back at hecklers from the stage, accusing them of being "paid by enemies of our nation" and mocking their appearance. The chaos unfolded as polls show Paxton trailing Democrat James Talarico by six points in what was once reliably Republican Texas.

Angel mom Marie Vega was mid-speech about her son's murder by two illegal immigrants when protesters shouted her down too.

Paxton led the crowd in chanting 'Where is Talarico?' — his rival's campaign confirmed the Democrat has been off the trail for 11 days with flu.

Hours before the rally, leaked audio emerged of Paxton privately blaming Trump's Iran war and diesel prices above $6 a gallon for his campaign's struggles.