Greg Abbott calls question the 'word choice of losers'

Plus: Why MAGA is upset with Trump's team.

 ͏  ͏  ͏
Texas Take with Jeremy Wallace

25¢ for 3 Months

Be informed. Stay connected.

Act Now

Cancel Anytime


Gov. Greg Abbott made clear he expects the Texas Legislature to investigate every aspect of the flooding in the Texas Hill Country — with a big exception.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday if the investigations will identify who is to blame for the nearly 300 people who died or are missing, Abbott took issue with the question.

“You asked — I’m going to use your words — ‘who’s to blame,’” Abbott said. “Know this, that’s the word choice of losers.”

Abbott then launched into an analogy, comparing the situation to Texas football.

“Every football team makes mistakes,” Abbott said. “The losing teams are the ones that try to point out whose to blame. The championship teams are the ones that say, ‘Don’t worry about it, man, we’ve got this.’”

Abbott added: “The way winners talk is not to point fingers. They talk about solutions. What Texas is all about is solutions.”

The question was asked of Abbott at a time when Texas was still dealing with more than 160 people being missing from the devastating floods. Abbott made clear the priority right now is trying to account for every single person.

But it was perhaps a strange analogy for Abbott, a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, given how much modern football teams use analytics and film to break down every aspect of their last game to identify what went wrong, even if they win a game.

And it may have left people confused about where the line was for the Republican leader between assigning blame and seeking accountability.

State Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, is among those who took Abbott’s reaction as a way to deflect from seeking true accountability if mistakes were in fact made that could have saved lives.

“Over 100 people are dead – including dozens of children – and the governor is using a football analogy,” he wrote on the social media platform X. “Texans are not that stupid. We aren’t dogs you distract by tossing a stick. We believe in accountability. THAT is the language of leaders.”

What do you think? Check out what Abbott had to say in the videos I posted on social media here on X or Instagram here.

Photo of Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com

Display Advertisement

Who's Up, Who's Down

Who's up and who's down for Texas Take newsletter.

A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.

Up: Neil Jacobs.

Less than a week after the Texas floods, Trump's pick to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service, was before the Senate’s Commerce Committee for a confirmation hearing. The National Weather Service has endured hundreds of vacancies since Trump returned to the White House in January, but the White House has insisted it was fully staffed in Texas last week when the weather emergency began. Still, Jacobs told the committee, led by Sen. Ted Cruz: "If confirmed I will ensure that staffing at weather service offices is a top priority."

Down: MAGA.

President Donald Trump is clearly not happy with reporters asking about his administration’s decision not to release more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after Attorney General Pam Bondi had early this year said she had more files about him sitting on her desk. When reporters tried to push Bondi on the topic on Tuesday during a cabinet meeting, Trump snapped at them. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years,” he said. “I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this.” But despite his dismissiveness, many in the Make America Great Again universe aren’t happy. Notable conservative names like Megyn Kelly, Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson all insisted this remains a big deal, though most of the ire is directed at Bondi. Texas Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, was even more direct on X: “Sorry, this is not going away. No amount of tut-tutting about moving on is going to sort this out in the mind of someone even mildly curious.”

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.


What else is going on in Texas

Courtney Calhoun of Hunt addresses Governor Greg Abbott about concerns of volunteers’ efforts being impeded after Abbott gave a press conference at The Hunt Store in Hunt, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

Photo by: Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News

Texas floods, THC and redistricting top Greg Abbott's special session call

The governor directed lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, an effort President Donald Trump has been pushing ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Read More

This image provided by rocketfuture.org shows a SpaceX rocket explodes at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas late Wednesday, June 18, 2025. 

Photo by: Rocketfuture.org Via AP

Mexico threatens to sue SpaceX over Starship pollution after June testing blast

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s lawsuit warning came after a June 18 explosion at Starbase lobbed debris across the Rio Grande River. “There is indeed contamination,” she said.

Read More

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks during a press conference before voting on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 at West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston.

Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer

Lina Hidalgo says she could win a primary ahead of decision on reelection bid

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has yet to make a decision on whether or not she is running for re-election.

Read More

The Harris County Jail at 701 N San Jacinto Street as seen on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Houston.

Photo by: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer

Harris County Jail fails state inspection, issued 3rd non-compliance notice

Harris County Jail was cited for failing safety checks and inspections after three inmates died last month, highlighting ongoing compliance issues. 

Read More

Texas lawmakers hope a series of new laws will help end oil field thefts in West Texas.

Photo by: Eli Hartman, Texas Tribune

Texas creating task forces to target Permian Basin oil field thefts

Lawmakers passed a suite of bills that officials said are crucial to combat losses in the state’s largest oil field.

Read More


Pick of the day

Jeff Ramsey

Photo by: yasmeen khalifa

That was the voicemail that Ramsey left for his children a few moments before the Airstream trailer that he and his wife Tanya were in was swept away in the July 4 floodwaters in Kerrville.


What else I'm reading

As Elon Musk muses about creating a third national political party, I am clearly not the only one thinking about the 1990s when another Texas billionaire Ross Perot ran for the White House in 1992 and later created the Reform Party three years later. Politico Magazine caught up with Russell Verney, the former chair of the Reform Party, to get his take on how much harder it is to create a third party than it looks.

Display Advertisement
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedInTikTok

Privacy Notice  |  Terms of Use

Unsubscribe  |  Manage Preferences

Houston Chronicle - Footer Logo

Houston Chronicle
4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027

© 2025 Hearst Newspapers, LLC