A commentary piece from The Bulwark examines President Trump's criticism of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's fashion sense, specifically his oversized shoes, golf polo, and $40,000 watch. Trump has praised Paxton as an ally but taken personal shots at his appearance. The authors argue that Trump is acting like America's "fashion police" by commenting on others' clothes.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Donald Trump has been repeatedly criticizing the fashion sense of Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas, whom he wants in the Senate. Trump has praised Paxton as a loyal ally but also taken shots at his appearance, calling attention to Paxton's oversized shoes, golf polo, and $40,000 watch. The criticism has been seen as unusual for a politician, with some suggesting that Trump is trying to humiliate Paxton or make him look ridiculous.
Written for “Donald Trump's Appearance Criticism” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 3872 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-04
Commentary. The three signals behind a trust
score all measure a newsroom's record with its own reporting, so they
are not computed for this source.
How trust is scored.
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful
reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.
Donald Trump wants Ken Paxton in the Senate, but he really wishes Paxton would do something about those ugly outfits.
asserted
Paxton → want → outfits
Trump has repeatedly praised Paxton as a loyal ally while taking bizarrely personal shots at his clothes, his appearance, and his interviews.
asserted
Trump → praise → clothes
Joe Perticone and Sonny Bunch give their takes on Trump’s obsession with how people look, the president’s apparent role as America’s new fashion police, and the truly questionable Ken Paxton fit that started it all.
asserted
that → give → it
We examine the oversized shoes, the golf polo, the $40,000 watch, and why Joe thinks Paxton may have gone straight from the golf course to the campaign trail.
uncertain
Paxton → examine → trail
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
asserted
Join → join → post
A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features.
asserted
subscription → get → Podcast
Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership.
asserted
who → help → membership