Was James Talarico just discharged from ‘mental hospital’? Center denies it, timeline doesn’t fit

Conservative influencers are sharing what they say is a phone call proving state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, was absent from the campaign trail because he was confined to a “mental hospital.” 

“BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Ohio mental hospital CONFIRMS James Talarico was discharged from the facility earlier this week,” conservative commentator Nick Sortor posted Oct. 11 on X, which had been viewed more than 7 million times by Oct. 12.

Talarico was absent from the campaign trail for nine days and said he was recovering from the flu. Before influencers shared the audio and named an Ohio psychiatric hospital, celebrity politicians such as Spencer Pratt speculated — without evidence — that Talarico was receiving care for a campaign-induced mental breakdown.

“My sources are telling me Talarico is in a mental health facility,” former reality TV star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Pratt said in an Oct. 9 X post.

On Oct. 10, Caroline Wren, a former fundraiser for President Donald Trump, posted flight tracking information for a private aircraft that flew from Austin to an airport in Hamilton, Ohio, which she said was “20 mins from the Lindner Center.” She provided no information linking the aircraft to Talarico.

The Lindner Center of Hope in Ohio, where Sortor said Talarico visited, denied that he received treatment there. And the timeline of the supposed events conflicts with Talarico’s public appearances.

Right-wing influencer said he called the center, claiming to be Talarico family member

Rhein Amacher, a right-wing influencer, posted what he said was a 55-second audio recording of his call to the Lindner Center, asking if they had information on Talarico. The Lindner Center is a mental health center and psychiatric hospital. He said he talked to the center twice.

“I personally contacted @LindnerCtrHope in Mason, Ohio, to determine whether Talarico was or had previously been a patient,” Amacher’s post caption read. “During my recorded call, an individual identifying themselves as a female facility employee reportedly stated that Talarico was no longer a patient and had been discharged within the previous 24–48 hours.”

The audio recording he posted is transcribed as follows:

Woman: Hi, I do not find anyone with that name for the last four days that’s been discharged and they’re not here in the building.

Amacher: Okay, so nothing for James Talarico?

Woman: Um, let’s see, looks— well, this is what it’s today. Looks like, just as, he was just discharged this evening. That’s why I don’t have it.

Amacher: Oh, he was discharged then?

Woman: Mm-hmm.

Amacher: Okay, and this is the Hope— 

Woman: So he should be— 

Amacher: Okay.

Woman: Hmm, I’m sorry?

Amacher: This is— I’ll make sure I have the right— this is Hope Lindner?

Woman: Yes. Uh-huh.

Amacher: Okay, and you’re in Hamilton, Ohio?

Woman: No, we’re not in Hamilton. No, we’re in Mason.

Amacher: Okay, so that’s why he’s not in the system. He’s been recent. Okay. All right.

Woman: Okay.

Amacher: Thank you.

Woman: Thank you. Bye.

Amacher posted a clip of another call when he asked the center about Talarico; then, he identified himself as Talarico’s cousin, said he was planning to send him a letter and was checking if he was still there. The staffer asked if he had a code, saying without it, the center couldn’t provide any information.

In the second call, Amacher was again asked for a code, and he said he “simply made one up” to attempt to “bypass the facility’s security restrictions to discuss the patient.”

On Oct. 11, the Lindner Center posted on X, “Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.”

Talarico reposted the Lindner Center’s statement and said, “I’ve never even been to Ohio,” with the tears of joy emoji.

PolitiFact contacted the Lindner Center and Amacher but did not hear back.

Amacher posted what appeared to be a screenshot of his call log showing that he made the calls a little before 9 p.m. on Oct. 10. The screenshot shows three calls, but he uploaded clips from only two.

The Bulwark obtained from Amacher the full recording of what he said was his second call. In the full recording, Amacher claimed his name was “Tim” and Talarico was his cousin. The woman repeatedly said she did not have anyone with that name in their records.

When The Bulwark called the Lindner Center, the woman on the line said “we would never disclose any patient information,” and “that would be a HIPAA violation.” HIPAA is a federal law that includes privacy protections for patients. The Bulwark did not name the representative.

Jennifer Pierson, a spokesperson for Lindner Center, told The Daily Wire the center “respects the privacy and confidentiality of all individuals” and “we do not confirm or deny whether any individual is or has been a patient, and we do not comment on individual cases.”

Responding to Sortor’s post that cited Amacher’s call, Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said Oct. 11 on X, “This is a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory. Last week James Talarico was home in Austin, Texas recovering from the flu.”

When Talarico was asked in an Oct. 11 interview with KXAS-TV, a Dallas-Forth Worth NBC affiliate, to comment on claims that he had a “stress-induced episode” and was getting treatment, he said, “That’s not true. 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.”

Talarico appeared in public Oct. 9 and 10

The timeline Amacher provided — calling the center on Oct. 10 and being told Talarico was “discharged this evening” — conflicts with Talarico’s public appearances on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.

Talarico attended the Austin City Limits music festival on the afternoon of Oct. 9. That evening, Ennis reposted a video of Talarico walking the grounds and said, “Hate to disappoint the conspiracy theorists, but James is still alive and meeting with voters at ACL today.”

Talarico posted videos of him greeting the festivalgoers.

On the night of Oct. 10, Talarico attended country singer Kacey Musgraves’ concert in Dallas. He posted photos of him and Musgraves at the concert and social media posts showed his appearance as well.

Our ruling

Conservative X influencers claimed an audio recording was proof Talarico was discharged from a “mental hospital” on Oct. 10.

The Lindner Center of Hope said Talarico has never received treatment there. Talarico said he’s “never even been to Ohio.”

The claims say Talarico was discharged on the night of Oct. 10. But he appeared in public on Oct. 9 and 10.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!

PolitiFact Staff Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.