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Texas representative Jasmine Crockett is in hot water after referring to Governor Greg Abbott — who uses a wheelchair — as “Governor Hot Wheels.” She made the remark over the weekend while onstage at an event for the Human Rights Campaign in Los Angeles. Speaking about Texas, Crockett said, “Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, and the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey.” Now, GOP leaders are reportedly planning to censure Crockett for her comments.
In a statement on X, Crockett claimed that “Governor Hot Wheels” was not meant to be an insult about Abbott’s disability. “I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable,” she wrote. “Literally, the next line I said was that he was a ‘Hot A** Mess,’ referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition.”
I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.
Literally, the next line I said was that…
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) March 25, 2025
Crockett also pointed out that the Republican outcry about her comments doesn’t exactly line up with their continued support for President Trump and his habit of name-calling. (Remember “Crazy Kamala” and “Tampon Tim”?) “I’m even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump—a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities—are now outraged,” Crockett wrote.
On Tuesday, Abbott addressed Crockett’s comments on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, historically a safe space for white men to complain about the women who speak out against them. “It’s another day and another disaster by the Democrats,” Abbott told the host. “The reality is, they have no vision, no policy.” The governor added that Democrats “have nothing to sell but hate.”
For what it’s worth, Abbott is also in the business of hate. During his time as governor, he has instructed state agencies to treat gender-affirming medical treatments for trans kids as abuse, signed into law a six-week abortion ban, and bused migrants to D.C. as part of a political stunt.
As for Crockett, CNN reported that Representative Randy Weber, also of Texas, is planning to introduce a resolution to censure her over her comments. Censuring a member of Congress is a formal condemnation from the House of Representatives, and while nothing actually happens to the representative, it’s supposed to be indicative of wrongdoing to their constituents. This would be the second time this month Republicans have censured a Democrat, the first being when they sought to punish Representative Al Green for disrupting Trump’s address to Congress.
In her statement, Crockett decried Republican outrage as a distraction. “Instead of obsessing over and hanging on to my every word,” she wrote, “maybe my political foes should focus on doing the work of the people who elected us to improve their lives.”