Jasmine Crockett's "Hot Wheels" Comment About Governor Greg Abbott Drew Some Criticism
Jasmine Crockett shared a statement on X after her original comment.
Published March 26 2025, 10:40 a.m. ET
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, known for her outspoken nature regarding politicians and billionaire White House official Elon Musk, made a comment about another politician, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, that many were surprised about. She referred to him as "Governor Hot Wheels," which sparked criticism from the Republican Party.
Abbott has been in a wheelchair since the mid-'80s after a tree fell on him and left him paralyzed. Although Crockett later released a statement to explain that her "Hot Wheels" comment had nothing to do with his wheelchair but instead some of his policies as governor, her original comment wasn’t easy to simply explain away as something else.
What was Jasmine Crockett’s Hot Wheels comment?
On March 22, 2025, Crockett spoke at a Human Rights Campaign dinner event. According to The Hill, Crockett spoke about what she has faced as a Black woman and about what those in the LGBTQ+ community are facing, both in and outside of Texas. Then, she made the now infamous comment about Abbott.
"Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there," she said during her speech at the dinner. "Come on now. And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a-- mess, honey."
Her comments immediately made headlines for what some saw as discrimination against the governor, who has been in a wheelchair for more than 40 years.
Later, on X (formerly Twitter), Crockett shared a statement to explain what she said and what the "Hot Wheels" comment meant.
"I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition," she wrote on March 25, 2025. "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 added, "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."
The accident that injured Abbott and left him in a wheelchair happened in 1984 when he was out jogging. According to The Texas Tribune, a large 75-foot oak tree fell on him and paralyzed him. At the time, Abbott took legal action against the owner of the property where the tree had been before it fell and a tree trimming company that had been in charge of working on the tree. He went on to hold office as the attorney general of Texas, justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, and governor.
Greg Abbott responded to the comment about his wheelchair.
The same day that Crockett made her statement about Abbott and the Hot Wheels comment on X, Abbott appeared on Hannity on Fox News.
"It’s another day and another disaster by the Democrats," he said, per the New York Post. "The reality is they have no vision, no policy. They have nothing to sell but hate, and Americans are not buying it. It’s one reason why Texas is going to remain red."