# James Talarico returns after 12-day absence

> James Talarico ends 12-day campaign absence after Trump's criticism.
- Title: James Talarico returns after 12-day absence · Fox News
- Summary: James Talarico ends 12-day campaign absence after Trump's criticism. James Talarico reappeared on the campaign trail after a 12-day absence, countering…
- Keywords: james talarico, texas, senate, campaign trail, james talarico campaign, ken paxton, trump, flue, news, politics, James, Talarico
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/james-talarico-resurfaces-after-12-day-absence-sparked-campaign-trail-attacks
- Author: Louis Casiano
- Published: 2026-10-09T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: james talarico, texas, senate, campaign trail, james talarico campaign, ken paxton, trump, flue, news, politics
## James Talarico reappears
Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico returned to the campaign trail after a 12-day absence.

> Hate to disappoint the conspiracy theorists, but James is still alive and meeting with voters at ACL today
## Campaign claims flu
Talarico's campaign said he attended a Zoom meeting with the U.S. Hispanic Business Council on Sept. 30.

> Talarico's campaign attributed the absence to a severe case of the flu
## Trump criticizes absence
President Trump accused Talarico of being 'missing in action' after 12 days without public appearances.

> TalaFREAKo has been missing for 12 days! Now, after looking for him throughout all of Texas, and beyond, probably even weirder places than anyone would think possible, he put out a statement that he has the 'flu'
## Paxton questions whereabouts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked where Talarico was during a San Antonio campaign rally.

> Where is James Talarico?
## Campaign plans return
Talarico's campaign expects to resume full in-person campaigning before an Oct. 14 CNN town hall.

> Talarico's campaign confirmed he expects to return to a full in-person schedule through the weekend ahead of an Oct. 14 CNN town hall
## Key takeaway

James Talarico reappeared on the campaign trail after a 12-day absence, countering claims of being ill while facing criticism from Trump.