A Black MAGA influencer says she was escorted out of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday, October 18, despite years of publicly supporting Donald Trump and other Republican politicians.
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Thelma Louise, a conservative content creator with more than 200,000 TikTok followers, said she drove over two hours to attend Paxton’s “Come and Take It” campaign tour. Instead of meeting the candidate or covering the event as planned, she says security personnel ordered her to leave.According to the San Antonio Current, Louise documented her arrival at Crown Ridge Banquet Hall, filmed protesters outside and interviewed a reporter in the parking lot. She was reportedly recording a speaker inside when security approached her.
In a TikTok video shared after the incident, Louise appeared shocked as she explained what happened.
“Oh my gosh. I cannot believe this. Someone just came up to me and said that Ken Paxton’s campaign manager wanted me to leave,” she said. “I am just … My mouth is wide open right now. I really can’t believe this.”
Louise repeatedly insisted she had done nothing wrong. As someone escorted her out, she tried unsuccessfully to speak with another campaign representative.
“And there’s no one that I can talk to about this?” Louise asked.
“I’m sorry, no, ma’am,” the unidentified person responded.
The experience appeared particularly upsetting because of Louise’s history of promoting Republican candidates. She said she left the Democratic Party two years ago and volunteered for Trump’s campaign.
“I have done nothing but support everyone on the Republican side, and this is how I get treated?” she questioned.
In a follow-up video, Louise made clear that she was holding Paxton’s campaign manager responsible rather than abandoning her support for Republicans.
“[They] have loved me, and they have welcomed me with open arms. But Ken Paxton’s campaign manager, that person is 100 percent responsible for the disrespect that I received this evening.”
She ended with another emotional statement.
“This, I will never forget. Never. This was beyond disrespectful.”
Louise also said she had previously received press credentials for Republican events. She maintained that she never received a clear explanation for her removal. Paxton’s campaign did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
There is currently no verified evidence establishing that Louise was removed because of her race. However, the incident has drawn attention to the record of the Republican politician she traveled to support.
As Texas attorney general, Paxton has spent years advancing policies that civil rights organizations argue threaten protections and opportunities for Black and Latino communities.
One example involves voting rights.
In August 2024, investigators working under Paxton executed search warrants involving Latino political activists and Democratic campaign workers in South Texas. According to The Texas Tribune, some targeted individuals were members of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC.
Paxton defended the searches as part of an election fraud investigation. LULAC, however, accused his office of intimidating Latino voters and requested federal intervention. The investigation subsequently produced criminal indictments, although those charges do not establish that everyone searched committed wrongdoing.
Paxton has also aggressively challenged diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
In January 2026, his office issued a sweeping legal opinion arguing that numerous government DEI practices violate constitutional protections and that certain private workplace initiatives could create legal liability.
Such positions could threaten recruitment, mentorship, and advancement programs designed to address longstanding racial disparities. Paxton maintains that government and employers should not provide preferences based on race.
Immigration is another major part of his political record.
In 2025, Paxton celebrated a federal appeals court decision against a Biden administration rule protecting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly called DACA. The program provides certain eligible immigrants brought to the United States as children with temporary deportation protections and work authorization.
According to Paxton’s office, he supported the court’s ruling against the regulation. Efforts to eliminate DACA protections could leave affected immigrant families facing greater uncertainty over their ability to work and remain in the country.
His office also joined the Trump administration in a successful 2025 legal challenge that ended Texas’s longstanding policy allowing qualifying undocumented students to receive in-state college tuition.
The Texas attorney general’s office confirmed that a federal court permanently blocked the provision. The decision created additional financial barriers for affected students seeking higher education.
Paxton is now running against Democrat James Talarico for the U.S. Senate in the November 3 election, positioning immigration enforcement and conservative social policies as central priorities.
For Louise, the immediate issue remains her treatment at the Ken Paxton rally. She says she supported the Republican movement, traveled hours to attend the event, and was escorted out without an explanation from the campaign.
