The Most Interesting Moments of James Talarico’s Fox News Interview

Jorge Bonilla
September 9th, 2026 9:13 PM

Text to Speech

00:00 00:00
Font Size

Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico gave Fox News some interview time today, in what had the potential of being something other than the warm tongue bath he usually gets across the Elitist Media. Here are some of the interview’s most interesting moments. 

Correspondent Brooke Taylor opened up with Talarico’s “six biological sexes” line:

 

 

BROOKE TAYLOR: First off, a lot of your past remarks and controversial comments. We’ve heard it resurface in some of these campaign ads, and I think it's really important for voters to hear directly from you. During the 2021 hearing you said:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

JAMES TALARICO: Modern science obviously recognizes there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six.

(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)

TAYLOR: Do you still believe that?

TALARICO: No. I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it. What I meant is that there are two sexes and then there is a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities. I obviously didn’t say it correctly. There are not six sexes. There are two. And- and I think the reason that politicians in that convention center across the street want to talk about six sexes is because they don't want to talk about $6 diesel.

TAYLOR: Just to nail it down here. Standing here with me, you can confidently say there are two sexes: a man and a woman?

TALARICO: Absolutely.

Talarico recanted on six genders, boiling them down to two plus “genetic abnormalities.” It’s a miracle Talarico didn’t also say “Woke One was crazy”, but here we are. This is a question the Elitist Media wouldn’t ask upfront unless it was with some weird “Republicans Pounce: frame.

Taylor follows up with the “gender-affirming health care” question:

 

 

TAYLOR: Speaking of gender…

TALARICO: Yeah.

TAYLOR:  …would you vote in favor of a national ban for transgender surgeries when it comes to minors?

TALARICO: Absolutely. And in fact, in the legislature I voted for an amendment that would have restricted the bill in question to a ban on surgeries for minors.

TAYLOR: In 2023 you voted against SB 14. Was that the Texas law banning transgender surgeries for minors and puberty blockers. How come you voted against that?

TALARICO: Because the bill was overly broad. In fact if you go back and check I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors. So I have been consistent on this issue.

TAYLOR: And what about biological men competing in women’s sports? That’s a big deal here in Texas.

TALARICO: That’s right. And I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair.

TAYLOR: What would your response be to voters who listen to this and they say, “You know, he had this stance. This seems like a drastic 180 from what we’ve heard from him in the past. Is he just trying to get our vote and then once he governs he’s going to govern as a progressive?”TALARICO: I would look at my legislative history. You shouldn't believe anything a politician says whether it's me or Ken Paxton. You should look at what we’ve done. And if you look at Ken Paxton's history, he has spent his entire career enriching himself on the public's dime. I‘ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week.

Talarico came out against surgery but left himself some wiggle room on puberty blockers. Talarico still supports men competing in women’s sports, so long as it is deemed “safe and fair.” A follow-up on these flop-flops is met with a talking point set piece.

Next, Taylor confronts Talarico with another “classic” quote: “God is non-binary.”

 

 

TAYLOR: In 2021 you said:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

TALARICO: God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between. God is nonbinary.

(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)

TAYLOR: Do you still stand by that?

TALARICO: I was being provocative with that statement. I get that. What I was trying to say is that you can't use human categories to define God. And that's not controversial, theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict all said the same thing.

TAYLOR: You once said that:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

TALARICO: Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front, and a lock on the door.

TAYLOR: I know you have since stated that what you meant by that is migrants who come into the country and don't have a criminal background, want to pursue the American Dream, they should be allowed here but criminals should be locked away. What about the more than 10 million illegal migrants came here under the Biden administration, what should happen to them?

TALARICO: So this is what people hate about politics. You know, I have said that our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a lock on the door. And there should be a welcome mat for people who want to come here the right way. And that's what most Texans agree with. I think that's what most Fox viewers agree with. But Ken Paxton cuts the part where I said “a lock on the door.” He just cuts the clip in half because he doesn't want people to know that I support border security. He doesn't want people to know that I called out Joe Biden for failing us on our southern border. I think we’ve got to create as part of a comprehensive immigration reform package, which includes border security, I think we should include a pathway to citizenship for folks who have been here for years and decades, folks who don't pose a threat to public safety and people who are willing to pay back taxes, who are willing to learn English. I think we should have a pathway for those folks to join us as full citizens.

Talarico defends that quote with appeals to the authority of Charlie Kirk and Pope Benedict XVI. His other quote on the border is defended with a talking point set-piece attack on Ken Paxton and a call for “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Faced with the Jocelyn Nungaray question, Talarico rebrands himself as a “border security Democrat.”

 

 

TAYLOR: Do you then wait, though, until someone- an illegal migrant is here doesn't have a criminal record and then hurts an American? You have a case like Jocelyn Nungaray. I know you know that story.

TALARICO: Yes. Of course.

TAYLOR: Here in Texas, a 12-year-old was brutally killed. Two illegal migrants from Venezuela. They didn't have a known history. They were caught and released and it wasn't until they murdered this young girl.

TALARICO: And it's why we should know who is coming into our country. It’s why I'm a border security Democrat. And let me say something a lot of Democrats won't say. It is not racist to want to know who’s coming into your country. And I believe that. And it's why we need to make sure that we know exactly who is coming into our country. We need to have a full, orderly vetting process to ensure that we are keeping Americans and Texans safe.

With the interview winding down, Taylor moves on to a proposed state income tax for Texas. Talarico comes out against it in another talking point set piece.

 

 

TAYLOR: Here in Texas we are one of the few states with the state income tax.

TALARICO: Yes.

TAYLOR: Do you believe that here in Texas we should still -- we should have a state -- we should not have a state income tax?

TALARICO: We should not have a state income tax. Texans are already struggling with these corrupt tariffs that are driving up grocery prices. They’re struggling with high gas prices because of this disastrous war in Iran. So the last thing we need is a state income tax in Texas.

The interview closes out with Talarico coming out in support of “overhauling” the U.S. Supreme Court- with some implicit support for packing the court as part of that "overhaul."

 

 

TAYLOR: If you win this, should our voters expect you to vote for or against adding Supreme Court justices, more than 9?

TALARICO: Well, I think the Supreme Court needs to be overhauled. We have seen that corruption has infected the judicial branch just as it's infected the legislative and executive branches. And so you are going to expect that I will vote for overhauls of the Supreme Court, that will include binding codes of conduct for our justices. It will include term limits and I'm open to a discussion about expanding the number of justices.

With the interview over, Taylor clarified that Talarico voted against a ban of the state income tax for Texas, and cited Talarico’s reasons for doing the interview (he has relatives that watch Fox News).

Taylor chose to do a rapid fire format and ask Talarico as many questions as possible. Because of the compressed timeframe (Talarico only granted 10 minutes), viewers got to see a lot but also missed out on a lot. For example, lingering questions about Talarico’s church wishing the Butler sniper didn’t miss his shot at President Trump, the state of his black engagement after his bitter primary with Jasmine Crockett, and his own expressed desire to “dismantle” capitalism. 

Perhaps Talarico might draw these at his next Elitist Media interview. That would be far preferable than the kid-gloves treatment he usually gets.

Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned interview as aired on Fox News Channel’s Special Report with Bret Baier on Wednesday, September 9th, 2026:

BRET BAIER: Welcome back to the Special Report and the midterm election here. The Democrats- the midterm convention, I should say. The Democrats in Texas did some counterprogramming today, hosting a media availability with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and state party officials. Texas has been considered solid GOP territory for decades but people are looking at the polls, and Democrats are saying it could change this November as Democrat James Talarico mounts a significant challenge to Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race as we talked about with Senator Scott moments ago. Tonight correspondent Brooke Taylor has an exclusive interview with the man trying to turn Texas blue. 

BROOKE TAYLOR: First off, a lot of your past remarks and controversial comments. We’ve heard it resurface in some of these campaign ads, and I think it's really important for voters to hear directly from you. During the 2021 hearing you said:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

JAMES TALARICO: Modern science obviously recognizes there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six.

(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)

TAYLOR: Do you still believe that?

TALARICO: No. I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it. What I meant is that there are two sexes and then there is a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities. I obviously didn’t say it correctly. There are not six sexes. There are two. And- and I think the reason that politicians in that convention center across the street want to talk about six sexes is because they don't want to talk about $6 diesel.

TAYLOR: Just to nail it down here. Standing here with me, you can confidently say there are two sexes: a man and a woman?

TALARICO: Absolutely.

TAYLOR: Speaking of gender…

TALARICO: Yeah.

TAYLOR:  …would you vote in favor of a national ban for transgender surgeries when it comes to minors?

TALARICO: Absolutely. And in fact, in the legislature I voted for an amendment that would have restricted the bill in question to a ban on surgeries for minors.

TAYLOR: In 2023 you voted against SB 14. Was that the Texas law banning transgender surgeries for minors and puberty blockers. How come you voted against that?

TALARICO: Because the bill was overly broad. In fact if you go back and check I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors. So I have been consistent on this issue.

TAYLOR: And what about biological men competing in women’s sports? That’s a big deal here in Texas.

TALARICO: That’s right. And I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair.

TAYLOR: What would your response be to voters who listen to this and they say, “You know, he had this stance. This seems like a drastic 180 from what we’ve heard from him in the past. Is he just trying to get our vote and then once he governs he’s going to govern as a progressive?”

TALARICO: I would look at my legislative history. You shouldn't believe anything a politician says whether it's me or Ken Paxton. You should look at what we’ve done. And if you look at Ken Paxton's history, he has spent his entire career enriching himself on the public's dime. I‘ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week.

TAYLOR: In 2021 you said:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

TALARICO: God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between. God is nonbinary.

(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)

TAYLOR: Do you still stand by that?

TALARICO: I was being provocative with that statement. I get that. What I was trying to say is that you can't use human categories to define God. And that's not controversial, theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict all said the same thing.

TAYLOR: You once said that:

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

TALARICO: Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front, and a lock on the door.

TAYLOR: I know you have since stated that what you meant by that is migrants who come into the country and don't have a criminal background, want to pursue the American Dream, they should be allowed here but criminals should be locked away. What about the more than 10 million illegal migrants came here under the Biden administration, what should happen to them?

TALARICO: So this is what people hate about politics. You know, I have said that our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a lock on the door. And there should be a welcome mat for people who want to come here the right way. And that's what most Texans agree with. I think that's what most Fox viewers agree with. But Ken Paxton cuts the part where I said “a lock on the door.” He just cuts the clip in half because he doesn't want people to know that I support border security. He doesn't want people to know that I called out Joe Biden for failing us on our southern border. I think we’ve got to create as part of a comprehensive immigration reform package, which includes border security, I think we should include a pathway to citizenship for folks who have been here for years and decades, folks who don't pose a threat to public safety and people who are willing to pay back taxes, who are willing to learn English. I think we should have a pathway for those folks to join us as full citizens.

TAYLOR: Do you then wait, though, until someone- an illegal migrant is here doesn't have a criminal record and then hurts an American? You have a case like Jocelyn Nungaray. I know you know that story.

TALARICO: Yes. Of course.

TAYLOR: Here in Texas, a 12-year-old was brutally killed. Two illegal migrants from Venezuela. They didn't have a known history. They were caught and released and it wasn't until they murdered this young girl.

TALARICO: And it's why we should know who is coming into our country. It’s why I'm a border security Democrat. And let me say something a lot of Democrats won't say. It is not racist to want to know who’s coming into your country. And I believe that. And it's why we need to make sure that we know exactly who is coming into our country. We need to have a full, orderly vetting process to ensure that we are keeping Americans and Texans safe.

TAYLOR: Here in Texas we are one of the few states with the state income tax.

TALARICO: Yes.

TAYLOR: Do you believe that here in Texas we should still -- we should have a state -- we should not have a state income tax?

TALARICO: We should not have a state income tax. Texans are already struggling with these corrupt tariffs that are driving up grocery prices. They’re struggling with high gas prices because of this disastrous war in Iran. So the last thing we need is a state income tax in Texas.

TAYLOR: If you win this, should our voters expect you to vote for or against adding Supreme Court justices, more than 9?

TALARICO: Well, I think the Supreme Court needs to be overhauled. We have seen that corruption has infected the judicial branch just as it's infected the legislative and executive branches. And so you are going to expect that I will vote for overhauls of the Supreme Court, that will include binding codes of conduct for our justices. It will include term limits and I'm open to a discussion about expanding the number of justices.

TAYLOR: And again, Bret, despite saying that about the state income tax, he did vote against banning that state income tax. But, you know, I asked Talarico why he decided to finally do this interview with Fox News. He claims he has family members that watch Fox News. He says “I want to earn the trust and support of every Fox viewer,” and said he wants to be a senator for every Texan so, Bret, a lot of information we got there. And his team only giving us a few minutes, about 10 minutes or so but I think we got a lot covered in that amount of time.

BAIER: Yeah, Brooke. Thank you very much. Here in Texas. Thank you.

Donor Privacy Policy