James Talarico previously stated that the American flag was a complicated symbol.
Posted by The Benny Show, Checked
- Sources
- 9 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 92%
The Benny ShowOct 28, 2026
Multiple outlets quote Talarico's 2019 remark that the American flag is "such a complicated symbol for most of us," and the claim concerns that statement, so the claim holds. The post's "he came out and said" matches this 2019 remark, and the campaign's response defends the flag rather than denying the remark.
What was said
… Well, guess what? Now he's eating at barbecue restaurants. He's filming himself, and then he also wears a, a, a Lone Star flag because he came out and said that the American flag was a complicated symbol, and, you know, it was just difficult to deal with. Well, guess what? Now he's wearing the flag, and he's, he's, he's not he's not big, and he's, he's eating barbecue. Another example: he, he, he was talking about how being white was a virus. …
The Benny Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. A transcript of Talarico's 2019 talk, quoted by the Michael Knowles Show, has him saying "the American flag is such a complicated symbol for most of us."[4]
Supports. Yahoo opinion piece and Christian Post both quote the same "complicated symbol" statement attributed to Talarico, and a 2019 video of the remark is reported as resurfacing in the Texas Senate race.[5][6][7]
Supports. Washington Examiner reports that in 2019 Talarico told an audience the flag is "such a complicated symbol for most of us," and Fox News reports the remark came from a resurfaced sermon.[8][9]
Supports. Politico and USA Today report that Talarico's critics, including Trump, cite his calling the flag a "complicated symbol," and the Talarico campaign's response is to say he believes the flag means freedom rather than to deny the remark.[3][10][11]
Context. The 2008 PolitiFact item and the Snopes category page do not address Talarico's statement and were not used to grade it.[1][2]
Sources
11 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 8 not rated
- 1The Coke theme song and more ridiculous allegationspolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2News & Politicssnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Republicans want to talk about James Talarico’s manhood ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Ep. 1925 - Dem Senate Candidate: Women Must Be Trans to Go to ...pod.wave.co · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Talarico can't rebrand his progressive politics with barbecue | Opinionca.news.yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Talarico runs for the center, dragging years of woke baggage behind himchristianpost.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 72019 Video of Talarico Calling American Flag 'Complicated...x.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8The Democrats running for Senate who hate the countrywashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 9Texas Senate candidate Talarico said US was ‘backsliding’ on democracy in resurfaced clipfoxwilmington.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 10'Low-T': MAGA insults Talarico's masculinity, but it isn't workingthelistwire.usatoday.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 11FIRST ON FOX: James Talarico slammed for calling American flag ‘complicated symbol’ ahead of Independence Day - AOLaol.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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