--- title: Donald Trump Offers to Destroy Texas State Senator's Career description: Donald Trump offered his help to a Texas sheriff feuding with a state senator. The White House later said that the president was joking. canonical: https://time.com/4663314/president-trump-destroy-texas-sheriff-opponent/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-07T22:56:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:16:04.710Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Offers to 'Destroy' Career of a Texas Sheriff's Opponent og:description: The sheriff has been in conflict with a state senator og:url: https://time.com/4663314/president-trump-destroy-texas-sheriff-opponent/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4793dbff6d5ca30/6988b92efb4eac4681890ae7/donald-trump.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: President Trump Holds Listening Session With County Sheriffs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Offers to 'Destroy' Career of a Texas Sheriff's Opponent twitter:description: The sheriff has been in conflict with a state senator twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4793dbff6d5ca30/6988b92efb4eac4681890ae7/donald-trump.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Offers to 'Destroy' Career of a Texas Sheriff's Opponent > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a484ef58-c0ac-4c84-9804-5879f1eefe40&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Offers to ‘Destroy’ Career of a Texas Sheriff’s Opponent [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Offers to ‘Destroy’ Career of a Texas Sheriff’s Opponent](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oHjruxZd.m3u8) (0:20)  _Published 2017-02-07. Donald Trump offered his help to a Texas sheriff feuding with a state senator, on Tuesday, volunteering to “destroy” the politician’s career._ by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Feb 7, 2017 10:56 PM UTC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Feb 7, 2017 10:56 PM UTC [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4662409/donald-trump-theresa-may-hands-joke/) offered his help to a Texas sheriff feuding with a state senator, on Tuesday, volunteering to “destroy” the politician’s career. Sheriff [Harold Eavenson](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/02/07/well-destroy-his-career-trump-quips-about-a-texas-state-senator-at-odds-with-a-county-sheriff/?utm%5Fterm=.793756198713) of Rockwall County, a major figure in the National Sheriffs’ Association, was one of a group of law enforcement officials to meet with Trump and a number of White House officials on Tuesday. He expressed frustration with a state senator in Texas who wants to change [asset forfeiture](http://time.com/money/4106485/police-private-property-seizure/) law. “He was talking about introducing legislation to require conviction before we can receive that forfeiture money,” Eavenson said, “and I told him that the cartel would build a monument to him in Mexico if he could get that legislation passed.” “Who is the state senator?” Trump responded. “Do you want to give his name? We’ll destroy his career?” The quip was met with laughter in the room. A White House [spokesperson](https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/829075389184081920) said the president was only “joking.” ## Transcript We've got a state senator in Texas that was talking about introducing legislation to require conviction before we could receive that forfeiture money. Can you believe that? And I told him that the cartel would build a monument to him in Mexico if he could get that legislations passed. Who is the state senator? Do you want to give his name? We'll destroy his career. 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