Polygraph

President Trump hinted that he was about to endorse John Cornyn in the primary race in Texas.

Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
4 support2 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
60%
The Michael Berry ShowAug 18, 2026
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25 claimsThe check →

Sources support the core of the claim: CNN reported in March 2026 that Trump was gravitating toward endorsing Cornyn before the plan stalled after leaks, and BBC reported it appeared he might endorse Cornyn after the March vote.

What was said

… It's unhealthy in a republic to remain silent when you disagree with the direction we're taking. We are not serving President Trump well when enough people don't say, "This is the problem." I will remind fellow Texans that the president hinted that he was about to endorse John Cornyn in the primary race in Texas. It was not until a few people got to him and said, "Hey, if you do that, Paxton is still going to beat Cornyn, so you're going to lose in the state where you're most popular, and you're going to lose a lot of credibility," and he said to people in this state …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. CNN (March 11, 2026) reported that Trump was gravitating toward endorsing Cornyn the prior week, but the plan stalled after his intentions leaked to the press.[3]

Supports. BBC reported that after the March first-round vote it appeared Trump might endorse Cornyn, but the endorsement never came.[4]

Supports. At a February 27, 2026 Corpus Christi event, Trump praised Cornyn ('we have a great senator, John Cornyn') and said he had 'pretty much' decided whom to endorse, while declining to name anyone.[1][5]

Context. Trump publicly endorsed Ken Paxton instead on May 19, 2026, ahead of the runoff, and Cornyn lost.[2][6]

Sources

6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 2 not rated

  1. 1Highlights: Bill Clinton's testimony about Epstein ties ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
  2. 2Trump backs hardliner Ken Paxton in critical Texas US ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
  3. 3Trump leaned toward endorsing Cornyn. Then the leaks started — and Paxton made a ‘genius move’ | CNN Politicscnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
  4. 4Ken Paxton's win over John Cornyn in Texas primary may also help Democrats in Senate battlebbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
  5. 5Trump calls out to Texas GOP Senate candidates, stops short of ...abc4.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  6. 6Trump endorses Ken Paxton over GOP incumbent John ...abcnews.com · not rated · cited for: context

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