Trump calls Abbott a 'RINO' after Texas governor loses fourth term bid

President Donald Trump blamed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for losing his bid for a fourth term, calling the governor a "RINO" in a social media post published Tuesday. The accusation came hours after Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa secured victory, ending the Republican Party's three-decade hold on the Texas governor's office. Trump wrote, "If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost. He went back to his original formula, and it wasn't pretty!" The post was signed "President DONALD J. TRUMP."

The acronym RINO stands for "Republican in name only." Trump and his allies frequently use the term to criticize Republican candidates they view as insufficiently conservative or loyal. In his post, the president did not specify what he meant by Abbott returning to his "original formula." He also did not identify specific decisions or cite polling data and campaign results to support his claim that Abbott changed course in the final months of the campaign.

Abbott has served as Texas governor since 2015. Prior to that role, he served as the state's attorney general and as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court. His defeat marks a major setback for the state Republican Party. Hinojosa, a Democrat, won the election that ended Republicans' long tenure in the governor's mansion.

The criticism arrived just days after Trump publicly backed Abbott's re-election bid. In a February post on Truth Social, the president called Abbott an "exceptional Governor and man." At that time, Trump gave Abbott his "Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election." The shift in tone from endorsement to accusation occurred within a matter of days following the election results.

The president offered his own explanation for the loss without providing detailed evidence. He suggested that Abbott's recent political behavior mirrored an earlier style that was less effective. The post serves as the primary public record of Trump's immediate reaction to the Texas race outcome.

Following the initial post, Trump added another social media update. In that follow-up, he said he planned to become a "Political Pundit." He wrote, "I'm going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!" The statement indicates his intent to offer ongoing commentary on electoral outcomes beyond the Texas race.