James Talarico is now pushing back on reports his mysterious absence from the campaign trail was due to a mental breakdown, but the Democrat U.S. Senate candidate from Texas has apparently changed his story on where he sought medical help for his claimed case of the flu.
As WorldNetDaily reported Sunday, online journalists including Nick Sortor reported Talarico was hospitalized and discharged at the Lindner Center of Hope in Mason, Ohio.
The mental health facility issued a statement Sunday night indicating: “Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.”
Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.
— Lindner Center HOPE (@LindnerCtrHope) October 11, 2026
Reporter Phil Prazan of the NBC-TV affiliate in Dallas interviewed Talarico on Sunday, and asked the candidate: “Conservative folks on Twitter and some of Paxton’s allies were pushing the idea that you had an stress-induced episode and were getting treatment for it. What are your thoughts? Did that happen?”
“That’s not true,” the Democrat replied. “I just had the flu and I feel much better. But it’s a good reminder that you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
“I just went to my primary care physician, but it wasn’t worse than any nasty case of the flu. And so I was in bed, drinking lots of liquids. Unfortunately the campaign made me work from home, so I didn’t get full days off.”
The comments caught the attention of Sortor and others, who noted in previous interviews, Talarico said: “It got so bad, I went to the urgent care here in Dallas and I was diagnosed with the flu.”
Sortor said: “James Talarico just CHANGED HIS STORY about WHERE he went to the doctor with the flu. Originally, he said he went to urgent care in DALLAS. But today, he claims to have ‘just’ gone to his primary care physician in AUSTIN. Talafreako can’t keep his story straight!”
🚨 JUST IN: James Talarico just CHANGED HIS STORY about WHERE he went to the doctor with the flu
Originally, he said he went to urgent care in DALLAS.
But today, he claims to have “just” gone to his primary care physician in AUSTIN.
Talafreako can’t keep his story straight! https://t.co/y7HejojEcn
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 11, 2026
End Wokeness on X wondered: “Which was it, James Talarico? Did you go to an urgent care or did you visit your primary care physician? 🤔”
MUST LISTEN: James Talarico can’t keep his lies straight. First he went to urgent care in Dallas… Today, he stated he went to his primary care physician in Austin.
Not fit! Time to step down and withdraw from the Senate race. https://t.co/y08rFB1afY
— Chad Ledger (@TheChadLedger) October 11, 2026
James Talarico 2 weeks ago: “I went to the urgent care here in Dallas.”
Now he’s saying he only visited his primary care physician.
What is Talarico hiding? https://t.co/eYvL9Ynprt
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 11, 2026
Republican strategist Caroline Wren analyzed the latest developments with Steve Bannon on Monday, saying Talarico “in that video claims that on the Sept. 30 Zoom, he said he went to a Dallas urgent care which we said that didn’t make sense. He had a New York City fundraiser on the 29th. How was he in a Dallas urgent care? But then in this [Oct. 11] video, he says he was not in any urgent-care hospital. He was taken care of by his primary-care physician in Austin. So that also doesn’t match up.”
“Let’s just take him at his word, and he was at home sick with the flu for 13 days. Give me a break!” Wren exclaimed.
“Can you imagine telling your employer that you cannot come – in the home stretch of a big project you and all your employees are working on, and you are going to be out for 13 days with the flu? If I were an employer and an employee told me that, I would say that’s unacceptable.”
CAROLINE WREN: Talarico Was Missing For 12 Days, And His Explanation Doesn’t Add Up.
@CarolineWren https://t.co/RanexcnrFB
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) October 12, 2026
Sortor noted: “Watching the absolute meltdown from the left over a psych hospital telling us James Talarico was recently discharged from their looney bin is so freaking entertaining 🤣.”
TEXAS SENATE SHOWDOWN: After more than a week off the campaign trail, Democrat James Talarico is back and now he’s breaking his silence, firing back at online rumors surrounding his absence. Talarico says he was sick with the flu, but Republican Ken Paxton is still raising questions about his time away.
— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) October 12, 2026
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