In response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott endorsing Donald Trump, DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump and his campaign are capping off a horrendous week trying to run away from his cruel and inhumane record by picking up the support of a similarly cruel governor who uses human beings as political pawns. With the support of MAGA acolyte Greg Abbott, Trump has earned another cheerleader for his extreme plans to ban abortion nationwide, pursue a disastrous immigration agenda, and make us less safe by flooding our communities with more guns. Abbott’s support will do nothing to help Trump with the voters who have rejected his toxic MAGA agenda time and time again.”

Like Trump, Greg Abbott is an anti-abortion extremist who signed one of the country’s most cruel and draconian abortion bans and even defended its lack of exceptions for rape victims. 

Trump: “There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life. And it’s very important.”  

Trump: “After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone … Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing. Thank you President TRUMP!!!”

Trump on if he would sign a six-week national abortion ban: “I’m looking at all [options].”

Texas Tribune: “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed into law a bill that would almost immediately outlaw abortions in Texas if a court ruling or constitutional amendment gave states the authority to prohibit the procedure. … The so-called trigger bill would take effect 30 days after an applicable court ruling. Texas doctors could face life in prison or $100,000 fines if they perform abortions, under the ban. There is no exception for women at risk of suicide or self-harm, pregnant as a result of rape or incest, or in the case of severe or potentially lethal fetal abnormalities.”

Washington Post: “When a reporter confronted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott with a tough question about how the state’s new law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy will affect victims of rape and incest, the Republican swiftly vowed to eradicate sexual assault in the Lone Star State. ‘Rape is a crime, and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets,’ Abbott said on Tuesday. The promise was not received well by many critics of the law, which effectively bans most abortions in the state. There are no exceptions to the six-week rule for victims of rape or incest.”

Abbott has used his power as governor to restrict voting access and support efforts spreading Trump’s baseless, dangerous conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Associated Press: “Trump, running for the White House for the third time, has signaled that the 2020 election will remain an integral part of his 2024 presidential bid. In a recent call with reporters about a new book, Trump pointed to polls that show a sizable number of people believe the 2020 election was stolen, even though there is no such evidence. ‘I’m an election denier,’ Trump said. ‘You’ve got a lot of election deniers in this country and they’re not happy about what’s happened.’”

Trump: “January 6, it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. And, they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable — and it was a beautiful day.”

CNN: “Incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke positively about the lawsuit that sought to overturn the results in four states (which was filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton) – telling a Spectrum News 1 television reporter in December 2020 that the lawsuit ‘tries to accelerate the process, providing certainty and clarity about the entire election process. The United States of America needs that.’”

Texas Tribune: “On Friday, Paxton said he had filed an objection to a state bar investigation prompted by his decision to file a lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 presidential elections in four battleground states. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit, saying Texas did not have standing to file it. …Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also blasted the investigation into their fellow Republican. Abbott, a former attorney general, said the issue presented a ‘threatened intrusion upon executive branch authority.’”

Texas Tribune: “Though delayed by Democratic quorum breaks, Texas has officially joined the slate of Republican states that have enacted new voting restrictions following the 2020 election. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 1, sweeping legislation that further tightens state election laws and constrains local control of elections by limiting counties’ ability to expand voting options.” 

Instead of trying to find real solutions, Abbott and Trump have both pushed failed and disastrous immigration policies that have done nothing to help the situation at the border — all while wasting taxpayer money to use migrants as pawns in petty political games. 

Semafor: “On Family Separation. Trump defended his policy of separating parents and children at the border, which sparked one of the largest outcries of his presidency before it was stopped by an executive order and court decision.”

New York Times: “To ease the strain on ICE detention facilities, Mr. Trump wants to build huge camps to detain people while their cases are processed and they await deportation flights. And to get around any refusal by Congress to appropriate the necessary funds, Mr. Trump would redirect money in the military budget, as he did in his first term to spend more on a border wall than Congress had authorized.”

Texas Tribune: “Hundreds of people arrested and detained under Operation Lone Star were not charged with a crime for weeks, and dozens were not given a lawyer for more than a month, The Texas Tribune first reported in September 2021. Texas law dictates that criminals must be assigned an attorney within three days of asking for one, and state law requires that defendants be released from jail if prosecutors delay cases by not filing charges quickly. Because most imprisoned migrants are charged with trespassing, that deadline would be 15 or 30 days, depending on the severity of the charge. Judges released migrants from the illegal detention in 2021, but defense lawyers claimed in court filings in March 2022 that the prolonged imprisonments are continuing without judicial intervention.”

The Guardian: “Texas legislators pass hardline immigration bill denounced as racist”

“The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, is expected to sign a bill that would make crossing into the state without documentation a crime, one of the harshest immigration policies in the US to date.”

New York Times: “For more than two years, Gov. Greg Abbott has been testing the legal limits of what a state can do to enforce immigration law.”

Time: “Since April [2022], Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has been chartering buses to send migrants crossing the border from Del Rio and nearby Eagle Pass to cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago. It’s a political salvo to Democratic leaders: liberal ‘open border’ policies, Abbott says, are overwhelming Texas, and he wants to give them a taste of what Texas communities are going through by shuttling migrants to their cities instead.”

Houston Chronicle: “On Monday, another bus dropped off about 50 migrants in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, D.C. NBC News reported that many of the migrants said they are Venezuelans.” 

Texas Tribune: “Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program costs Texas $12 million”

Abbott and Trump have both cozied up to the gun lobby instead of working to ensure the safety of our communities. 

NBC News: “Trump says mass shootings are not ‘a gun problem’ as 2024 GOP hopefuls pledge loyalty to the NRA”

Trump: “There’s no bigger fan of the NRA [than me].”

New York Times: “President Trump on Monday abandoned his promise to work for gun control measures opposed by the National Rifle Association, bowing to the gun group and embracing its agenda of armed teachers and incremental improvements to the background check system.”

Texas Tribune: “Abbott’s Friday appearance in Uvalde came as he skipped the National Rifle Association convention in Houston, where he instead deliver pre-recorded remarks that were shown to the audience minutes before his news conference began. In the video address, Abbott continued to make clear he does not view gun restrictions as the answer to the massacre. ‘There are thousands of laws on the books across the country that [limit firearms] that have not stopped madmen from carrying out evil acts on innocent people and peaceful communities,’ Abbott said.” 

KHOU: “Gov. Greg Abbott signed the open carry and campus carry bills into law Saturday. Abbott signed HB 910 (Phillips, R-Sherman; Estes, R-Wichita Falls) and SB 11 (Birdwell, R-Granbury; Fletcher, R-Cypress), which expand Texans’ Second Amendment rights. Both bills implement proposals in the Governor’s Bicentennial Blueprint. HB 910, known as ‘open carry,’ authorizes individuals with a license to carry a holstered handgun openly in all locations that allow the licensed carrying of a concealed handgun. SB 11, known as ‘campus carry’ authorizes individuals with a license to carry a concealed handgun on campuses of public institutions of higher education.”

NBC News: “A year before Uvalde school shooting, Texas expanded gun rights”

Trump and Abbott have both tried to rip away health care coverage and railed against the Inflation Reduction Act, which is lowering health care costs for hardworking families.

NBC: “… Trump approved a surprise decision to push for the complete elimination of the Affordable Care Act in the courts. If it succeeds, millions of Americans will lose their private insurance or Medicaid coverage and the health care system would be thrown into chaos.”

NPR: “The very day President Trump was sworn in — Jan. 20, 2017 — he signed an executive order instructing administration officials ‘to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay’ implementing parts of the Affordable Care Act, while Congress got ready to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature health law.”

Dallas Morning News: “Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas will work to pass its own health care law to replace the Affordable Care Act if it’s ultimately struck down in the courts. After Friday’s ruling by a Fort Worth judge that struck down the federal health care law, Abbott said Monday he will consult with the Trump administration on immediate next steps while state lawmakers and regulators fashion their own plan to succeed it.” 

Urban Institute: Over 1.7 million Texans would become uninsured if the Affordable Care Act ceased to exist.

Business Insider: “Former President Donald Trump on Friday slammed the [Inflation Reduction Act], arguing that Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was ‘taken for a ride’ by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.”

Politico: “[Abbott] was one of 22 Republicans who signed an Aug. 4 letter opposing the [Inflation Reduction Act].”

Abbott praised Trump’s MAGAnomics tax scam that rigged the economy for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of America’s middle class.

CBS News: “Two years after Trump tax cuts, middle-class Americans are falling behind”

The Guardian: “They were billed as a ‘middle-class miracle’ but according to a new book Donald Trump’s $1.5tn tax cuts have helped billionaires pay a lower rate than the working class for the first time in history.”

Trump on whether his second term tax policies would echo those of his first term: “Yeah, and I’d do even more taxes.”

Abbott Office Press Release: “Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: ‘Any law that reduces the money the federal government takes from taxpayers is a good law.’”

Like Trump, Abbott has downplayed the threat of climate change and has repeatedly opposed efforts to address it.

New York Times: “Over four years, the Trump administration dismantled major climate policies and rolled back many more rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals.”

Trump, on Paris Climate Accords: “We will again get out of Paris.”

Politico: “… the U.S. under former President Donald Trump backslid in terms of international climate leadership, essentially standing still on carbon emissions when the world drastically needed to ramp up its climate-fighting efforts.”

Axios: “Trump says he doesn’t believe his administration’s climate report”

Yahoo News: “After ‘1,000-year’ storm in Dallas, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott chooses not to mention ‘climate change’”

Austin American-Statesman: “Abbott Spoke With Climate Skeptic Ahead Of Storms.”
Texas Tribune: “Millions of Texans didn’t have power Tuesday night, and the arctic blast was still pummeling the state. Many were looking for answers on why they were stuck in the cold and when their heat would return. And Gov. Greg Abbott was being interviewed on Fox News, decrying the Green New Deal — a massive framework of climate change policies that don’t exist in Texas.”