WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump made multiple public interventions ahead of the midterm elections, endorsing candidates, attacking others, and commenting on national issues. Despite stating “I don’t care about the midterms,” Trump devoted effort to opposing Republican officials he considers disloyal, including Representatives Thomas Massie and Senator Bill Cassidy.

Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his primary challenge against incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Paxton has been impeached and acquitted, settled federal health care fraud charges, and was accused of adultery by his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Trump also targeted Democratic state Representative James Talarico, criticizing him in a series of statements. Talarico is not a vegan, though he said he had ordered vegan meals for his campaign. Trump compared Talarico to Alfred E. Neuman, the cartoon character from Mad magazine.

In response, Talarico told CBS’s Ed O’Keefe, “There are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark. I’ll be the first to admit that. But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.” Talarico also clarified that when he said “God is non-binary,” he meant that “God can’t be defined by human categories.” He addressed past remarks about “six biological variations based on chromosomes” during questioning by O’Keefe.

Trump has also delivered multiple speeches focused on economic issues. Some Republicans have criticized him for emphasizing topics such as the White House ballroom and a $1.8 billion fund intended primarily for individuals convicted in relation to the January 6 Capitol breach, whom Trump refers to as “patriots.” Trump has noted that a president’s party typically loses congressional seats during the sixth year of a presidency.