Trump Rallies in Lubbock for Paxton: Methane Rollback, Rubio Surprise and a Dueling Talarico Crowd

Introduction

President Donald Trump closed out a two-rally Texas day on Tuesday night, October 27, 2026, with a raucous evening rally at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center in support of Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton — while Democratic nominee James Talarico held a dueling rally across town the same night. Trump took the stage to chants of "USA" just before 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, tossing his signature red "Make America Great Again" hats into the crowd as Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" played.

"Hello Texas, I've been all over the place all day long," Trump told the crowd, after an afternoon rally in Corpus Christi earlier in the day. "There's one week left. I did more rallies than I've ever done for myself. It's much easier, you know, when you do them for yourself."

The Lubbock stop was the second half of an extraordinary double-header for a single candidate — Trump himself noted that he does not typically host two rallies for one candidate in a day. It underscored how competitive the Texas Senate race has become: Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994, but Paxton and Talarico are in a dead heat according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polling, and the race will help decide control of a Senate that Republicans now lead 53-47.

The evening mixed policy announcements with the freewheeling rally style that has defined Trump's closing blitz: a formal termination of Biden-era methane regulations, a surprise appearance by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a joke about parachuting Rubio into Cuba, an extended riff on Ohio Senator Jon Husted's physique, and a fresh attack on Talarico built around Texas barbecue.

"Tonight, I'm Officially Terminating" the Methane Rules

The night's biggest policy news came midway through the speech, when Trump announced he was scrapping former President Joe Biden's methane regulations for oil and gas drilling.

"Tonight, I'm officially, terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations," Trump said, telling the Lubbock crowd the move would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock Texas' natural gas.

The announcement matched what the administration had been signaling. Earlier in October, the Environmental Protection Agency indicated it would relax rules around methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, and Bloomberg was first to report Trump's planned announcement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the EPA is preparing to propose easing regulations for wells that emit large amounts of methane, scrapping a program to identify large methane leaks, and allowing fossil-fuel producers to flare more natural gas.

"Democrats crushed the small oil and gas operators," Trump said in Lubbock. "We're back so strong, and nobody has more energy."

Methane is a greenhouse gas that scientists say is contributing to global warming, and the rollback amounts to an overhaul of the regulatory framework the United States has built to curb methane releases from the oil and gas industry, the nation's largest industrial source of the gas, according to the EPA. The agency said earlier in October that the regulations "posed a monumental threat" to workers and businesses in the oil and gas industry and drove up energy prices.

The energy theme ran through the whole evening. Trump spoke about the need for continued energy production, boasting about Texas' prowess in the oil and gas industry, and warned that electing Democrats could threaten American energy independence. He also reiterated his support for AI data center development in the United States, telling the Lubbock crowd that "Texas should not be in a position where they're not doing them."

"You have a lead that's so great, you don't want to lose it," Trump said, encouraging Texans to keep allowing data centers to develop in the state and to have those developers invest money in their communities. "Don't turn them down because someone else is going to take them and you'll be very unhappy in the long run."

Rubio's Surprise Appearance — and the Cuba Parachute Joke

One of the longest applause breaks of the evening came when Trump invited Secretary of State Marco Rubio onto the stage. Rubio had not been on the announced program, and his surprise appearance drew a roar from the Lubbock crowd.

Rubio kept his speech short.

"Our enemies are weaker, our country is stronger and our people are safer because Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States. Thank you," Rubio said.

Moments later, Trump turned the appearance into a joke he has now told twice in a week — suggesting he could drop Rubio into Cuba by parachute on the way back from Iran.

"Maybe on the trip back, we'll just drop Marco into Cuba. We'll fly him in by parachute him. We'll drop him into the middle of Cuba, he'll solve that problem in about two minutes," Trump said.

The president made similar remarks during a September visit to the United Nations, and said at an October 23 rally in Fort Myers, Florida, that the United States could make "a little stopover" in Cuba just before Rubio made a public plea for those who seek change in the communist country to enter into a discreet partnership with the CIA.

Speaking about Cuba at his Lubbock event, Trump added: "Cuba is coming our way just like everything else is coming our way."

The Cuba aside was a reminder of how much of the evening's foreign-policy discussion revolved around Iran. Trump told the Lubbock crowd that the Iran war — now eight months old — will be over whenever he wants it to be, but that it has to "end properly" with a "total statement" that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

"It could be over whenever I want it to be over," Trump said in Lubbock on Tuesday evening. He added this week that it is "getting to be decision time" on resuming attacks or making a deal with Iran, and he has said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he expects the war to conclude immediately after the midterm elections.

The Husted Riff — and the Paxton Punchline

The evening's most talked-about comic detour had nothing to do with Texas at all. Trump launched into an extended riff about Ohio Senator Jon Husted's physique, saying in Texas that it had "never really been my thing to look at men" before he studied the former football player's backside.

"I like men, but I've never been particularly attracted, sorry," Trump said in Texas.

Trump said he "made the mistake of saying" he'd studied the former football player's tight end. "And then I looked at his feet, and they were massive," Trump said. "He had fingers like sausages. I looked at his hands."

Earning laughs from the crowd, Trump added: "I made the mistake of studying his anatomy and explaining it to the audience."

Husted's polling jumped afterwards, Trump said — and then came the punchline aimed at the man the rally was actually for.

"Maybe I should do that with Ken Paxton, but I'm not sure your body is going to qualify," Trump said of the Texas Republican Senate candidate.

Paxton took it in stride. Trump brought Paxton onto the stage shortly after 7:45 p.m., earlier praising him as the greatest attorney general in Texas history. Paxton told the crowd he'd been enjoying spending his day traveling with Trump, starting with the afternoon rally in Corpus Christi.

Trump stressed his support for Paxton and other statewide candidates, including Governor Greg Abbott. Trump noted he doesn't typically host two rallies for one candidate in a day — which means he must like Paxton.

"Mr. President, I really like you, too," Paxton told Trump.

Earlier in the day, in Corpus Christi, Trump had framed the Texas Senate race as a contest between those who hate America and those who love it, saying: "So on election night, Texas is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it. America belongs to those who love it. And the only choice for proud patriots is the greatest attorney general in the history of your state."

Paxton, who trails Talarico in most recent polls, gave brief remarks, telling Trump that he's grateful to have him in Texas. "You are making a difference, not just for Texas, but he's traveling the country," Paxton said. "I've never seen anybody work harder, and I am so appreciative. We are going to win."

"Meat Poisoning": Trump's Barbecue Attack on Talarico

Trump also returned to one of his favorite closing-week attacks on Talarico — the barbecue line. He said that Talarico's extended campaign absence earlier in October was caused by "meat poisoning" after the Democratic nominee traveled around the state eating barbecue at campaign stops.

"He wants to get rid of your meat. He can't stand the stuff," Trump said in Lubbock.

The president has repeatedly mocked Talarico as a vegan, even though the candidate says that isn't true. Trump said he believed that Talarico was "grossed out, sick to his stomach, having to eat meat" after eating too much barbecue when he was missing from the campaign trail this month.

"I believe that he probably got very sick. He called it meat poisoning," Trump said.

Talarico has said he had a nasty case of the flu that he did not want to pass on to others. He has denied Trump's accusation of being a vegan, joking that he'd been eating barbecue since before Paxton's first indictment, and has said he supports the Second Amendment while also advocating keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, along with an "all of the above" strategy for energy, including renewables.

Across Town: Talarico's Dueling Rally Overflows

While Trump spoke at the Civic Center, Talarico's own rally across town was struggling to fit its crowd. The Democratic nominee's event — originally planned for the Frazier Alumni Pavilion on the Texas Tech campus — was moved to the Fiesta Center, and was delayed nearly an hour amid concerns about the venue's capacity.

Organizers announced the change in location on Monday. "James is honored by the excitement the people of Lubbock have shown towards his campaign," JT Ennis, with Talarico's campaign, stated via email to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "Due to high interest and RSVPs, our campaign needed to change venues to accommodate as many attendees as possible."

According to organizers, over 4,000 people signed up to attend the event, and Talarico campaign staff said they expected to have to turn away 1,000 from the event. Talarico's rally was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern but was delayed amid the capacity crunch.

Texas Democrats at the rally touted the midterms as the party's best chance in a generation to break the Republican grip on statewide office.

"This is our best chance in 30 years to take back Texas from the decrepit GOP, the billionaires, and take Texas forward," said James Snoddy, a Lubbock County Democratic Party official.

Other speakers derided Trump and the Republican Party for policies they said benefited the rich, saw unnecessary intervention in Texas schools, and left Texas communities poorer.

"They put this here, they put data centers on our heads, they gave billions to private schools," Riley Rodriguez, a Texas Senate candidate, said of Republicans. "We take our state back for the people, out of the hands of the soft-handed billionaires."

The dueling rallies gave Lubbock a split-screen snapshot of the race: a sitting president headlining for the Republican in a packed civic center, and a Democratic challenger drawing an overflow crowd across town in a city deep in one of the reddest regions of the state.

"Wreck Expectations": The Red Raider Spirit

The evening also had a distinctly local flavor. Before Trump took the stage, "Raider! Power!" — Texas Tech's signature chant — erupted among the crowd, bringing a familiar Red Raiders tradition into the political spotlight.

Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton called on Republicans to "Wreck Expectations" this election cycle during Trump's rally in Lubbock on Tuesday, borrowing the university's rallying cry for the campaign's final week.

Trump himself leaned into the local energy, telling the crowd the midterm crowds have been extraordinary. Before departing Washington, he had predicted that Talarico's Lubbock rally would be "swamped" by his own crowd. "He's going to get swamped because we have thousands of people," Trump told reporters. "You know a midterm is usually not that exciting. This has become very exciting and the crowds are incredible."

Why Lubbock Matters: A Dead Heat in a Red State

The stakes of the evening went beyond one night's crowd sizes. The Texas Senate race is one of the most closely watched contests in the country, and it will help determine control of the upper chamber, which Republicans now lead 53-47. A Democratic Senate could block Trump's major nominees and priorities that have to pass through Congress, and Democratic lawmakers are threatening to investigate his administration.

Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994, and a Democrat has not held a Texas Senate seat since 1993. But the open race between Paxton and Talarico is a statistical dead heat, and recent polls have shown Talarico narrowly ahead or tied — including a Texas Univision/YouGov poll showing Talarico leading Paxton 50-45, and a CBS News poll showing Talarico ahead 51-49.

The race has drawn national attention as Republicans seek to retain their Senate majority and Democrats look for an opportunity to win a statewide race in Texas for the first time in 32 years. Trump endorsed Paxton in May during the Republican Senate primary runoff against Senator John Cornyn, and Paxton went on to win the Republican nomination.

Trump's closing-week schedule reflects the map's competitiveness: after Texas, his blitz continues through Ohio, South Carolina and Florida, capping more than 20 rallies across 18 states. Democrats are countering with their own heavyweights, including former President Barack Obama, who campaigned in Ohio and Michigan over the weekend.

What's Next

Early voting in Texas runs through October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Results in the closest Senate races — Texas, Maine, Alaska, Michigan, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio — may take days to finalize as mail ballots are counted.

For Paxton, the Lubbock night was a show of presidential force in the campaign's final week: two rallies in one day, a policy announcement aimed squarely at Texas energy producers, and a sitting president vouching for him as the greatest attorney general in state history. For Talarico, the overflowing dueling rally was its own argument — that Democratic enthusiasm in deep-red West Texas is real, and that a race Republicans once took for granted is now a genuine fight.

Whether either night's crowd translates into votes will be decided in six days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump announce about methane regulations in Lubbock? Trump announced he was terminating Biden-era methane regulations for oil and gas drilling, saying the move would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock Texas' natural gas. The EPA is preparing to propose easing regulations for high-emitting wells, scrapping a leak-identification program, and allowing more natural gas flaring.

Why did Trump mention Marco Rubio and Cuba? Rubio made a surprise appearance on stage in Lubbock, and Trump joked that "on the trip back, we'll just drop Marco into Cuba" by parachute, saying Rubio would "solve that problem in about two minutes." Trump made similar remarks at the United Nations in September and at a Fort Myers rally on October 23.

What did Trump say about Jon Husted? Trump delivered an extended riff about Husted's physique, saying he studied the Ohio senator's backside, feet and hands, and joked that Husted's polling jumped afterwards. He then quipped that he might do the same for Paxton, "but I'm not sure your body is going to qualify."

What happened at Talarico's dueling Lubbock rally? Talarico's rally was moved to the Fiesta Center and delayed nearly an hour amid capacity concerns. Organizers said over 4,000 people signed up, and staff expected to turn away about 1,000 attendees. Texas Democrats called the midterms their best chance in 30 years to win statewide in Texas.

How close is the Texas Senate race? The RealClearPolitics average shows Paxton and Talarico in a dead heat. Recent polls have shown Talarico narrowly ahead or tied, including Univision/YouGov (Talarico 50-45) and CBS News (Talarico 51-49), while other surveys have shown Paxton ahead. Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994.

When is Election Day 2026? Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships are on the ballot, and early voting in Texas runs through October 30.

Sources

USA Today, "Trump, Talarico hold dueling Texas rallies as Senate fight rages: Live updates" (Oct. 27, 2026)

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal via USA Today Network, "Live updates as Trump, Talarico take West Texas on the same night" (Oct. 27, 2026)

Wall Street Journal, "Trump Moves to Weaken Methane Emissions Rules for Oil and Gas" (Oct. 28, 2026)

USA Today, "Trump says he 'can't take chances' as he campaigns in red states" (Oct. 27, 2026)