According to former President Donald Trump, a bizarre and graphic narrative has become a central talking point in the high-stakes Texas U.S. Senate race, targeting Democratic contender James Talarico.
Trump has recounted this unverified tale on multiple occasions, including at the September Republican convention in Texas and during a string of October rallies in Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, and Nebraska.
During an Oct. 2 event in Mobile, Alabama, Trump avoided using Talarico’s name, instead describing him as “the guy from Texas who’s — he’s a vegan, but now … he’s eating meat like a pig.”
Trump went on to tell the crowd, “But what they don’t show you is that, after every barbecue, he walks to the back of a tent and he throws up all over the place.” (Strict vegans abstain from all animal products.)
A few days later in Nebraska, Trump repeated the claims without directly naming Talarico, asserting that the candidate previously promoted himself as a vegan.
“In Texas he talks about, ‘I’m a vegan, I’m a vegan.’ He’s a vegan, vegan meaning he likes lettuce. And now he goes to every barbecue available. He then throws up immediately after eating the steak, throwing up all over the place.”
Later, at a San Antonio rally, Trump remarked, “I hear the guy’s disappeared. Nobody knows — you know where he is? He’s sick because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.” Around that time, Talarico had temporarily stepped away from campaigning, with his team explaining that he was down with the flu.
These anecdotes have become a staple of Trump’s rally performances, consistently generating applause and laughter. They represent an escalation of previous claims, such as remarks made in May when Trump suggested Talarico was “a vegan in Texas, and you can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas.”
When inquiries were made to the White House seeking proof of Talarico falling ill after consuming meat, a representative directed questions back to the former president’s public statements.
Origins of the vegan narrative trace back to a 2022 climate speech
Critics pointing to Talarico’s dietary habits generally reference a 2022 address delivered at a fundraising event for the Texas Humane Legislation Network, an organization advocating for animal welfare. At that time, Talarico was seeking another term in the Texas House of Representatives.
During the speech, he argued that cutting back on meat consumption was both the “moral thing to do” and “necessary to fight climate change.”
“I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign, so we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses,” he stated during the event, adding, “Everyone has to take personal responsibility in this effort.”
While he never explicitly declared himself a vegan, the remarks laid the groundwork for accusations during his subsequent 2026 Senate run.
Talarico maintains he eats meat and denies any claims of illness
Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General and Talarico’s Republican opponent, asserted in May that the Democrat was a vegan—a claim PolitiFact previously labeled False.
“This is a flat out lie, James is not and has never been a vegan,” campaign spokesperson JT Ennis stated in response to inquiries. Addressing Trump’s descriptions of post-meal vomiting, Ennis added, “This is a lie without any basis.”
When specifically asked if the candidate had ever struggled with eating disorders, Ennis reiterated, “This is a lie without any basis.”
Throughout the primary season, Talarico’s team has actively shared images of him eating meat, including enjoying a turkey leg at the Texas State Fair in March and sampling traditional grilled items at April’s Fiesta San Antonio.
Official statement from @JamesTalarico on vegan accusations https://t.co/pLwtlknBYj
— JT Ennis (@jt_ennis) March 18, 2026
“I want to say this definitively, and categorically, that I deny all accusations of veganism,” Talarico noted during a March interview with The Bulwark’s Tim Miller. “And our campaign basically runs on barbecue these days.”
Additionally, a May video showed Talarico alongside former President Barack Obama and gubernatorial hopeful Gina Hinojosa grabbing breakfast tacos at an Austin eatery.
No photographic, video, or documentary evidence exists to support the claim that Talarico consumes meat during campaign events only to become sick afterward.
Health advocates also note that utilizing such imagery can diminish the seriousness of actual medical struggles like bulimia.
“For someone to use that as a punch line, it makes it seem like it isn’t a serious behavior and it actually is,” said Mallary Tenore Tarpley, a University of Texas assistant professor and author of a book focusing on eating disorder recovery, who has previously shared her own personal experience overcoming anorexia. “When leaders make jokes about it it can feel undermining.”
Our evaluation
Trump asserted that Talarico is “a vegan” and claimed that he secretly goes behind tents to vomit following barbecue meals.
While Talarico did promote cutting back on meat consumption during a 2022 environmental speech and implemented a non-meat policy for his office at the time, he did not label himself a vegan. Throughout the current election cycle, he has repeatedly refuted claims of veganism and been seen consuming animal products in public.
Trump has continued to push the narrative about illness without presenting supporting facts. While supporters may view the statements merely as political theater, the cultural significance of barbecue in Texas makes the accusations notable.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
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