President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday that he is endorsing Texas Governor Greg Abbott for re-election, giving the three-term Republican his “Complete and Total” backing in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the country.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Abbott “an exceptional Governor and man.” The endorsement marks a full show of support from the president, despite previous criticism of Abbott over issues ranging from election integrity to his handling of the impeachment effort against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“Thanks to Greg’s bold and effective Leadership, the wonderful people of Texas will have the opportunity to elect 5 new MAGA Republicans in the 2026 Midterm Elections with the passage of their new, fair, and much improved, Congressional Map — A BIG WIN for Republicans in The Lone Star State, and across the Country!” Trump wrote.
The Texas redistricting bill, passed under Abbott’s leadership, is expected to strengthen Republican representation in Congress, potentially adding five new GOP seats in the 2026 midterms. The move underscores the state’s continued role as a conservative stronghold and a cornerstone of Trump’s political coalition.
Abbott, seeking a fourth term, welcomed the endorsement and emphasized his alignment with Trump on major policy issues. “President Trump and I have a good, long-standing, working relationship, and there’s a substantive reason behind that,” Abbott said. “We both believe in the rule of law. We both believe in public safety. We both believed in securing the borders.”
The endorsement, however, follows years of occasionally strained relations between the two leaders. During the 2023 impeachment proceedings against Paxton—who emerged as a key figure in the America First movement—Trump criticized Abbott for staying silent. “MISSING IN ACTION! Where is the Governor of Texas on his Attorney General’s Impeachment?” Trump wrote at the time.
Trump has also taken aim at Abbott’s handling of election integrity issues, faulting him for not initiating a statewide forensic audit of the 2020 election. “By allowing the Democrats to do what they do, it will make it much harder for the Governor and other Republicans to win election in 2022 and into the future,” Trump warned. “Texas is a much redder state than anyone knows, but this is the way to make sure it turns blue.”
Those concerns mirror growing anxieties among conservatives that Texas—long a bastion of Republican power—could drift toward becoming a “purple” state amid population changes driven by migration and shifting demographics. Some point to signs of cultural change, including the rise of Islam in major Texas cities and the GOP-controlled legislature’s declaration of an annual “Pakistan Day,” as indicators of that shift.
Still, Trump’s endorsement suggests a pragmatic alliance rooted in mutual political benefit. For Trump, it secures the support of one of the nation’s most powerful Republican governors; for Abbott, it shores up credibility with the conservative base ahead of what could be his toughest re-election battle yet.
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