U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, disparagingly called Gov. Greg Abbott “Hot Wheels” to mock his use of a wheelchair Saturday, prompting fierce backlash from Republicans.
“Jasmine Crockett is despicable,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said on social media.
“Shameful,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn posted.
"Jasmine Crockett is the perfect spokesperson for today’s Democrats — out of touch and completely unhinged,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “When you’ve got no message and no agenda, all that’s left is hate."Crockett made the remark during a dinner in Los Angeles hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, a pro-LGBTQ rights organization. Addressing the crowd, she quipped: “Y’all know we got Gov. Hot Wheels down there. Come on now. And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot ass mess, honey.”
Abbott has used a wheelchair for over 40 years. He was struck by a falling tree in 1984 while jogging, crushing multiple vertebrae. He was 26 at the time.
Crockett is not the first to land in hot water after mocking Abbott’s disability. Then-Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt apologized in 2019 after she said Abbott “hates trees because one fell on him.” Eckhardt is now a state senator. Two staffers of Empower Texans, a right-wing advocacy group, drew condemnation from their fellow Texas Republicans in 2020 after audio surfaced of them cursing out the governor and deriding his disability.
