Trump blames fellow Republicans for Paxton's struggles in Texas Senate race

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised members of his own party over the US Senate election in Texas. In a post on his social network Truth Social, he claimed that fellow Republicans were doing everything possible to make life hard for Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee. Polls currently show the Democratic candidate, James Talarico, holding a slight lead over Paxton.

Attack on Cornyn and Rove

Trump named incumbent senator John Cornyn and political strategist Karl Rove, alleging that they were working against Paxton out of personal jealousy. According to the president, the pair were hurting Texas and the whole country. He added that if Paxton lost, it would be because Cornyn and Rove had failed to oppose him effectively throughout his political career.

Paxton has been Texas attorney general since 2015. Many Republicans regarded the Texas Senate seat as safe for the party. A loss would be seen as a major blow to Trump and the Republican Party, and would be the first time since 1988 that a Republican has failed to win a Senate election in Texas.

Other developments in Washington

Katie Zacharia, the White House's new press secretary, has said it is unknown how much she will engage with the press or hold briefings. Questions about her legal credentials continue after it emerged that she did not pass the California bar exam after law school.

Trump also called a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries a disgrace and described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin.

Paolo Zampolli, an Italian-born former modelling agent and personal friend of the president, was dismissed on Thursday as the US special representative for global partnerships. The move followed a Politico report on a months-long email dispute with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, in which more than a dozen government officials were copied.