Leavitt says he doesn't believe in Talarico's nod to Trump in the Texas Senate race

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, now a Fox News contributor, said she did not believe "for a second" Democrat James Talarico's offers of cooperation to President Donald Trump. The statement was made to the Fox & Friends program on election day, when the polls were about to open in Texas, where Democrats are trying to flip a seat in the Senate.

According to the channel, Talarico, described by presenter Brian Kilmeade as a far-left candidate, has made promises of a moderate tone in recent months. In a statement shown on the program, he stated that he would like, as a senator, to work with Trump to fulfill part of the promises of his political project. He cited as examples access to quality daycare for all children and the reduction of bureaucracy to build millions of homes, remembering that Trump is a builder.

Kilmeade noted that Democrats often associate the housing agenda with environmental restrictions that, in his view, only increase bureaucracy. Asked if she believed in the gesture, Leavitt replied that this is what Democrats do every election cycle. For her, candidates speak like radicals until they win the party's nomination and then try to appear moderate to win the voter's vote.

Criticism of the candidate

Leavitt cited Talarico's past statements to support the thesis. According to her, the Democrat said he was a Christian and, at the same time, criticized Christianity, stated that God is non-binary, argued that there are six genders and compared the southern border of the United States to a front porch, where everyone is welcome. The phrases were attributed to him by Leavitt, and the transcription does not provide the original context of each one.

She also stated that the candidate wants to abolish ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and open prisons. In the collaborator's assessment, he would join the ranks of what she called the extremely liberal wing of the Democratic Party, with a confrontational stance and obstruction of the government's agenda. Leavitt associated the Joe Biden period with the worst border crisis in American history, according to his account.

Trump's disposition and what's at stake

Kilmeade pointed out that the theme is repeated in other states, such as South Carolina, Nebraska and Kansas, where the appeal would be to vote for the Democrat, and asked if the offer of collaboration is sincere. Leavitt responded that there is nothing sincere about these candidates, but said Trump is willing to work with anyone. As examples, he cited agreements reached in the Oval Office with Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, meetings with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and frequent phone calls with Democrats.

According to her, the president offered mayors and governors of cities governed by Democrats federal resources to clean up homeless encampments and combat crime, but none accepted. Leavitt attributed this to the fact that the party is, in his words, controlled and dictated by hatred of Trump, and predicted that if the Democrats win, they will do nothing on affordability or border security.

For the investor, the dispute matters due to the composition of Congress. The themes mentioned in the interview, such as housing, bureaucracy, immigration and cost of living, are at the center of the economic agenda, and the margin of the president's party in the Senate and Chamber tends to influence the pace of these agendas. The interview, however, deals with politics and does not include market, interest or exchange rate projections.

In closing, Kilmeade asked whether there will be a lot of turnover in the government team, whether Trump's party keeps or loses one or both Houses. Leavitt said personnel changes are natural after two years of any administration and said he left the position because he had two young children, although he loved the work. He said he has no doubt that a very good team will continue at the president's side. Kilmeade commented that, if they lose the House, the president's allies would be the target of investigations.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.