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PoliticsActive today · day 7

Leaked audio: Paxton says mandatory spending, including entitlements, must be cut

A fourth leaked clip from a private Sept. 24 fundraiser has Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton calling cuts to mandatory spending unavoidable.

newest coverage 8h agosummary written 6d ago24 pieces12k likes & upvotes496 comments MastodonNewswiresXReddit

What to know

  • This is the fourth clip leaked from a single Sept. 24 private fundraiser, with leaks drip-fed to the NYT, Politico, Axios and now the Texas Tribune in the final days before early voting.
  • Paxton did not specify which mandatory-spending programs he'd cut; roughly three-quarters of such spending goes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid per CBO data.
  • The leak lands in Texas' most competitive Senate race in decades, where Talarico has consistently led in public polling despite a national GOP spending push for Paxton.
  • Paxton's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on which benefits programs he would target.
most voices

The leak confirms Paxton is a threat to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and is politically finished because of it.

  • “BREAKING: MAGA ogre Ken Paxton gets caught in ANOTHER leaked audio scandal as he's caught on mic calling for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Stick a fork in him folks, he's done…”

    @OccupyDemocrats · X ↗

“Paxton '26: no healthcare for you, purloined Swiss pens for me!”

Lawyers, Guns & Money, Political blog · Lawyers, Guns & Money ↗ · Oct 7

Ken PaxtonKen Paxton Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (Texas)James TalaricoJames Talarico Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate (Texas)Jeanne Haggerty Lobbyist present at the Sept. 24 fundraiser

Leaked audio: Paxton says mandatory spending, including entitlements, must be cut
x.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 5 pieces in two hours at Yesterday, 8 AM; 24 pieces over 7 days (5 articles · 19 posts) Oct 8, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — X 2Oct 8, 8 AM — 3 pieces · 3 posts — X 2, Mastodon 1Oct 8, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 8, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — X 2Oct 8, 2 PM — quietOct 8, 4 PM — quietOct 8, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 8, 8 PM — quietOct 8, 10 PM — quietOct 9, 12 AM — quietOct 9, 2 AM — quietOct 9, 4 AM — quietOct 9, 6 AM — quietOct 9, 8 AM — quietOct 9, 10 AM — quietOct 9, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 9, 2 PM — quietOct 9, 4 PM — quietOct 9, 6 PM — quietOct 9, 8 PM — quietOct 9, 10 PM — quietOct 10, 12 AM — quietOct 10, 2 AM — quietOct 10, 4 AM — quietOct 10, 6 AM — quietOct 10, 8 AM — quietOct 10, 10 AM — quietOct 10, 12 PM — quietOct 10, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 10, 4 PM — quietOct 10, 6 PM — quietOct 10, 8 PM — quietOct 10, 10 PM — quietOct 11, 12 AM — quietOct 11, 2 AM — quietOct 11, 4 AM — quietOct 11, 6 AM — quietOct 11, 8 AM — quietOct 11, 10 AM — quietOct 11, 12 PM — quietOct 11, 2 PM — quietOct 11, 4 PM — quietOct 11, 6 PM — quietOct 11, 8 PM — quietOct 11, 10 PM — quietOct 12, 12 AM — quietOct 12, 2 AM — quietOct 12, 4 AM — quietOct 12, 6 AM — quietOct 12, 8 AM — quietOct 12, 10 AM — quietOct 12, 12 PM — quietOct 12, 2 PM — quietOct 12, 4 PM — quietOct 12, 6 PM — quietOct 12, 8 PM — quietOct 12, 10 PM — quietOct 13, 12 AM — quietOct 13, 2 AM — quietOct 13, 4 AM — quietOct 13, 6 AM — quietOct 13, 8 AM — quietOct 13, 10 AM — quietOct 13, 12 PM — quietOct 13, 2 PM — quietOct 13, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 13, 6 PM — quietOct 13, 8 PM — quietOct 13, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Mastodon 3Yesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — 5 pieces · 5 posts — Mastodon 3, Reddit 1, X 1Yesterday, 10 AM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Yesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Today, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quiet 1–3
Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11Oct 12Oct 13yesterdaynow · 8:15 AM ET
  1. 3

    Democratic-aligned accounts amplify the leak as disqualifying

    Accounts including OccupyDemocrats and factpostnews circulated the clip on X, framing it as evidence Paxton would gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, gathering over a thousand likes within hours.

    “BREAKING: MAGA ogre Ken Paxton gets caught in ANOTHER leaked audio scandal as he's caught on mic calling for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Stick a fork in him folks, he's done…”
    — @OccupyDemocrats

    • Leaked audio of Ken Paxton complaining about his failing campaign, admitting that Greg Abbott is “struggling” too, and saying that Republicans will likely lose seats in the state legislature: “Yes, Abbott is struggling… And he didn’t have any primary with all the negative ads.

      @HQNewsNowX22h ago1.6k▲view on X ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
    • houstonpublicmedia@mastodon.social

      Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton said he would protect Social Security, but that cuts to federal spending are necessary to reduce the budget deficit. https://www. houstonpublicmedia.org/article…

      houstonpublicmedia@mastodon.socialMastodon1d agoview on Mastodon ↗

    • A fourth leaked Paxton recording just dropped. In it, he talks about slashing safety net programs even further, saying, “People will just need to suck it up”—while also discussing additional tax cuts for the rich.

      @MollyploofkinsX6d ago805▲view on X ↗
    all of them →
  2. 2

    Commentary blogs tie the leak to Paxton's broader unpopularity

    Political blogs folded the entitlement-cuts leak into a running list of Paxton controversies, including his securities-fraud indictment, impeachment and the long-running 'stolen pen' episode used in an anti-Paxton ad.

    “Making some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending — you're gonna have to do it. Or there is no solution. That's just the reality. We have to suck it up.”
    — Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee · source
  3. 1

    Texas Tribune publishes fourth leaked clip on entitlement cuts

    The Tribune's audio has Paxton saying 'There's no doubt we have to cut some of the mandatory spending' and pairing that with calls for tax cuts to spur economic growth; he did not specify which programs or by how much, and his campaign did not comment.

    “There's no doubt we have to cut some of the mandatory spending…”
    — Ken Paxton

    • Leaked audio reveals Ken Paxton plans to cut Social Security and Medicare: "Making some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending — you're gonna have to do it."

      @factpostnewsX6d ago1.1k▲view on X ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • realTuckFrumper@mastodon.social

      Latest leak catches Ken Paxton vowing to slash benefits — while chuckling over tax cuts # RawStory

      realTuckFrumper@mastodon.socialMastodon6d agoview on Mastodon ↗

    • KEN PAXTON IS DUMB AS ROCKS. 😂 The idiot got caught on another leaked recording talking about cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while a lobbyist asks for a tax cut and Paxton says, “I’m with you on that.” KEN. YOU’RE BEING RECORDED. 🤦‍♀️

      @BrittanyinTexasX6d ago106▲view on X ↗
    all of them →
  4. background

    Earlier clips from the same fundraiser leak to national outlets — Portions of Paxton's remarks from the event were leaked in succession to The New York Times, Politico and Axios in the days before the Texas Tribune's clip, with the recording made by an attendee opposed to Paxton's Senate bid.

  5. background

    Paxton tells DC lobbyists mandatory spending cuts are unavoidable — At a private fundraiser with Washington lobbyists, Paxton responded to a question about the federal deficit by saying mandatory spending, which is roughly three-quarters Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, would need 'reasonable cuts.'

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets Ken Paxton caught in yet another leaked audio clip, this time saying Gov. Abbott is ‘struggling’

    first by San Antonio Current, 20h ago · also Mediaite, Rolling Stone

    2 more headlines

and 1 smaller piece

What people are saying 8 voices from 2 sites · best of 15 · verbatim