SAN ANTONIO (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday fought to rally Texas voters behind embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton as a series of protests disrupted his rally in San Antonio.

The president was interrupted repeatedly during his remarks, including by one demonstrator who appeared to be close to the stage. Trump stepped away from the microphone briefly.

“He’s going back home to mom,” Trump said. “But what he doesn’t know is his mom voted for Trump.”

Other demonstrators emerged one after the other, until the interruptions reached at least a half dozen. Some were led away by police.

Trump at first just tried to talk through the disruptions while the crowd booed. But as the interruptions continued, he said, “Those are really bad-looking people.”

The protests underscored the Republican Party’s struggles in Texas during this year’s midterms.

Texas is the nation’s most populous reliably Republican state, where Trump won in 2024 by almost 14 percentage points. But with Election Day less than a month away, Trump’s poor approval ratings, the Iran war and soaring gas prices have threatened Republicans in virtually every state.

This was Trump’s third trip to Texas in less than a month as the GOP tries to stave off a blue wave in a state it did not think would be in play this year.