Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has become known for her off-the-cuff commentary. Earlier this month, when asked what she would say to President Donald Trump following his joint congressional address if given a chance, she said, “I would tell him to grow a spine and stop being Putin’s hoe.”
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Now she’s come under fire for comments she made about Texas Governor Greg Abbott — who was paralyzed after a tree fell on him in 1984 and uses a wheelchair.
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During a Human Rights Campaign event, Crockett said, “We in these out ass Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now. And the only thing hot about him is that he’s a hot ass mess, honey.”
Crockett’s speech immediately faced criticism for what people perceived to be a slight at Abbott’s disability. Now, some are calling for House Speaker Mike Johnson to “step up and censure or remove her.”
Within that faction, more than a few people are channeling their frustration with Crockett’s words by making stereotypically racist comments about her use of AAVE, saying of her speech, “I need a translator to understand what she is saying.”
On the flip side, netizens called out the right’s largely defensive response to President Donald Trump seemingly mocking a reporter with a disability in 2015, when he said, “Poor guy, you oughta see this guy,” while gesticulating in what appeared to be an imitation of the reporter’s movements.
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Many seem to believe conservatives’ outrage over Crockett is hypocritical when considering the actions of their party’s leadership.
One person wrote on X, “I’ve seen Republican officials & the MAGA base be racist towards the Obama’s, Kamala Harris & black folks in general. I’ve seen how bigoted they are towards other marginalized groups. Forgive me if I don’t care about Jasmine Crockett calling Greg Abbott ‘Governor Hot Wheels.'”
And then you have people who are right in the middle. “She’s tacky. He’s horrible,” one person wrote. “Everyone seems to lie and have inconsistent standards. We are doomed.”
On her part, Crockett has since responded to backlash, writing on X, “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 he was a ‘Hot A** Mess,’ referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition. So, 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.”
What are your thoughts on Crockett’s speech and the backlash? Let us know in the comments.
