President Donald Trump has backed away from endorsing Sen. John Cornyn in Texas's Republican Senate primary runoff amid fierce backlash from his MAGA supporters, who favor challenger Ken Paxton.

Neither Cornyn nor Paxton secured a majority in the March 4 primary, with Cornyn taking 42% and Paxton 41%, setting up a May 26 runoff. The Democratic nominee is state Rep. James Talarico. Trump announced on Truth Social shortly after the primary that he would endorse one candidate soon and urged the other to withdraw.

Senate Republican leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune, pressed Trump to back Cornyn, citing Paxton's legal troubles, including a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges from which he was acquitted, as a general election risk. Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice, has aligned with Trump on most votes but drew MAGA ire for opposing the border wall in 2016, supporting gun measures after the 2022 Uvalde shooting, and criticizing Trump's 2024 campaign.

Paxton, who embraced Trump's SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote, positioned himself as a MAGA fighter persecuted like the president. Trump, who said he likes both men, indicated his decision hinged on SAVE Act support, voter ID requirements, and banning men from women's sports. Reports emerged last week that Trump leaned toward Cornyn, prompting outrage from MAGA activists who threatened to suppress turnout in the midterms if he sided with the establishment.

At Saturday's Conservative Political Action Conference near Dallas, Paxton keynoted the Ronald Reagan dinner to roaring cheers, while Cornyn drew boos in a poll. Steve Bannon declared Paxton "emblematic of the grassroots of the MAGA movement." Trump allies noted his base favors Paxton despite personal scandals, including an alleged affair.

Cornyn recently pledged to alter filibuster rules for the SAVE Act, but Paxton supporters dismissed it as too late. As of Sunday, Trump has not endorsed either, leaving Texas Republicans divided ahead of the runoff.