Why Greg Abbott Endorsed Donald Trump

The most frustrating modern sin is self-destructiveness. It is hard to help people who are bent on actively harming themselves — or at least refusing to help themselves — and then persistently shift the costs of doing so to their friends, family, co-workers, and allies. For those of us who wish to see the Republican Party succeed, the self-destructive streak in the party has long been a great source of frustration, and never more so than in watching people line up to help the Democrats by renominating Donald Trump.

Sadly, that self-destructiveness has been abetted by any number of people within the party who ought to know better, and probably do know better. Texas governor Greg Abbott became the latest of these, joining a line of depressingly foolish endorsements of Trump by Steve Daines, Mike Johnson, Bobby Jindal, Lee Zeldin, Lindsey Graham, John James, Brian Mast, and Pete Sessions. Politicians will often disappoint when making endorsements: I’m old enough to remember Rudy Giuliani endorsing Mario Cuomo for reelection in 1994, even while Giuliani was in the midst of a revolution in conservative urban governance that changed the face of New York City for decades. There are frequently any number of motives at work in these.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

Featured Tags

The most frustrating modern sin is self-destructiveness. It is hard to help people who are bent on actively harming themselves — or at least refusing to help themselves — and then persistently shift the costs of doing so to their friends, family, co-workers, and allies. For those of us who wish to see the Republican Party succeed, the self-destructive streak in the party has long been a great source of frustration, and never more so than in watching people line up to help the Democrats by renominating Donald Trump.

Sadly, that self-destructiveness has been abetted by any number of people within the party who ought to know better, and probably do know better. Texas governor Greg Abbott became the latest of these, joining a line of depressingly foolish endorsements of Trump by Steve Daines, Mike Johnson, Bobby Jindal, Lee Zeldin, Lindsey Graham, John James, Brian Mast, and Pete Sessions. Politicians will often disappoint when making endorsements: I’m old enough to remember Rudy Giuliani endorsing Mario Cuomo for reelection in 1994, even while Giuliani was in the midst of a revolution in conservative urban governance that changed the face of New York City for decades. There are frequently any number of motives at work in these.