Overview

Jasmine Crockett Calls Greg Abbott "Governor Hot Wheels" refers to a comment made by Democratic U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett about Texas Governor Greg Abbott in which she called him "hot wheels," with many perceiving it as a reference to Abbott's physical disability, which requires him to use a wheelchair, since the nickname is a common meme referring to someone in a wheelchair. The nickname inspired backlash towards Crockett from numerous conservatives, who found it tasteless and offensive. In reaction to the backlash, Democratic voices on social media pointed out criticism from conservatives, who have similar offensive nicknames and insults for people on the left. In response to the criticism, Crockett claimed that she was not criticizing Abbott's wheelchair, but his policies, calling the outrage a "distraction."

Background

On March 22nd, 2025, the Human Rights Campaign held a banquet at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California. During the banquet, Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett of the Democratic party made a speech. During the speech, she jokes about Texas governor Greg Abbott, saying, “You all know we got Gov. Hot Wheels down there. Come on, now. And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey." Governor Abbott is wheelchair-bound due to an injury he sustained from an oak tree falling on top of him while out for a run in 1984.^[1][2]

On March 25th, the clip of Crockett making the comment was posted by X^[3] user @EndWokeness, who quoted her and wrote, "Profound," garnering over 22,000 likes and 13 million views in a day. It was also posted by X^[11] user @WesternLensman a few minutes later, writing, "The New Face of the Democrat Party: Jasmine Crockett calls TX Gov Greg Abbott 'Governor Hot Wheels.' Abbott has been in a wheelchair since he was paralyzed in an accident in 1984," garnering over 3,400 likes in a day.

The nickname "hot wheels" in reference to someone in a wheelchair has notably been used as a meme online since at least the mid-2000s.^[12]

Developments

Jasmine Crockett's Response

On March 25th, 2025, as the video of Jasmine Crockett calling Abbott "hot wheels" spread online, she posted a statement to X^[4] explaining the nickname. In her statement, she writes that she wasn't commenting on his condition but that she 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 continued, "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." She then links to an article by The Texas Tribune^[5] reporting that Texas has spent $148 million "busing migrants to other parts of the country." The post gained over 53,000 likes and 9,300 reposts in a day.

Following her statement, the Washington Free Beacon^[6] reported that Crockett had allegedly liked and reacted to posts on Facebook referring to Abbott as "hot wheels" back in 2021, before Abbott began migrant transfers, suggesting that this undercuts her claim that she was referring to his policies, providing screenshots as evidence of this, as well as links to the relevant Facebook posts, although the comments seem to have been deleted. The veracity of the screenshots is unconfirmed.

Online Reactions

On March 25th, 2025, before Representative Crockett made her statement denying that the comment was about Governor Abbott's wheelchair, right-wing social media users began criticizing Crockett, while her supporters defended her.

For example, on that day, X^[7] user @CheetohFingers posted, "Fuck Governor Hot Wheels. All my homies hate Governor Hot Wheels," along with the wheelchair scene from Mac and Me in which a child in a wheelchair falls off a cliff, garnering over 4,500 likes in a day.

Also on March 25th, 2025, X^[8] user @razzli_ made a post criticizing conservatives for the backlash and listing nicknames and insults they have used towards those on the left for years, garnering over 204,000 likes in a day. A story about the nickname was reposted to the subreddit /r/politics^[9] around the same time, garnering over 20,000 upvotes in a day.

Later that day, following Crockett's statement, X^[10] user @quadcarl_carl, who is wheelchair-bound, posted, "I’m gonna keep calling him Governor Hot Wheels," along with a picture of himself, garnering over 48,000 likes in a day.

Search Interest

External References