Trump Says James Talarico Has “Six Genders” And Is A Vegan. Neither Claim Is True.
On 22 March, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social account to go after James Talarico, the Texas Democrat who won his party’s Senate primary. Trump called him a “FRAUD,” claimed he had “six genders,” ate “only vegan food,” wore a mask in 2023 and 2024, and described his views as “an insult to Jesus.”
None of it holds up.
Who is James Talarico?
Talarico is a Texas state representative who won the Democratic primary for the US Senate earlier this month, defeating fellow Democrat Jasmine Crockett. He is also a vocal supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and a practising Christian. Trump has apparently decided those two things cannot coexist.
Where did “six genders” come from?
During a 2021 Texas House committee debate on a trans sports ban, Talarico challenged the bill’s author by pointing out that sex is not strictly binary. “Modern science obviously recognises that there are more than two biological sexes; in fact, there are six,” he said, referencing chromosomal variations. He was actually underselling it. According to Children’s Hospital Colorado, there are nine documented X&Y chromosome variations, not six.
Trump apparently filed this away and brought it back five years later as a gotcha.
And the vegan claim?
Also not accurate. In 2022, Talarico told animal rights group the Texas Humane Legislation Network that his statehouse campaign was “only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.” He has since clarified that he is decidedly not vegan. “This is a very serious allegation to make in Texas, so I want to say this definitively and categorically: I deny all accusations of veganism,” he told The Bulwark. “Our campaign basically runs on barbecue these days.”
The “insult to Jesus” remark
This one has been circulating longer. Trump first made the comment when he appeared as a call-in guest on Fox News’ The Brian Kilmeade Show on 13 March, after Republican figures began circulating a clip of Talarico giving a speech in support of trans kids, during which he said God is nonbinary. According to Talarico, he was referring to how God encompasses everything, including both the masculine and the feminine.
Talarico responded while speaking to a church congregation. “You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires,” he said, continuing with a pointed list of grievances aimed squarely at the current administration.
The bigger picture
At DNA, we pay close attention when politicians weaponise religion and science to attack people who simply believe in equal rights. The “six genders” and “vegan” lines are not really about biology or diet. They are about making Talarico seem odd and out of step with Texas voters.
Republicans still have not settled on a Senate candidate. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will face a runoff on 26 May. Trump has yet to endorse either.
