AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott maybe had to dodge some rotten grapefruits — a few, lofted from normally friendly faces in the gallery.
But the Texas governor’s on-again, off-again inspections of incoming trucks from Mexico, that snarled traffic and bungled international trade, probably helped him politically in the short term, experts said Friday.
The inspections and the free bus rides for migrants to Washington, D.C., may have yielded Abbott several desirable outcomes, one said: The governor got a prime time slot on Fox News’ most-watched show talking about an issue that’s wildly popular with GOP voters. His flurry of border-related activity appeared to avert any long-lasting, deleterious effects from the “enhanced safety inspections” he ordered state police to conduct.
