Who is Greg Abbott and why is he in a wheelchair?
GREG Abbott has been the governor of Texas since 2015. Here is more on the 62-year-old Abbott and how the state has fared during the coronavirus crisis. Who is Greg Abbott? Abbott graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and later earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in Tennessee. The Republican was […]
GREG Abbott has been the governor of Texas since 2015.
Here is more on the 62-year-old Abbott and how the state has fared during the coronavirus crisis.
Greg Abbott speaks to reporters after attending the public viewing for George Floyd in Houston on June 8, 2020[/caption]
Greg Abbott with his wife Cecilia and daughter Audrey[/caption]
Who is Greg Abbott?
Abbott graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and later earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in Tennessee.
The Republican was later elected Attorney General of Texas and served in that position from 2002 to 2015.
He filed 31 lawsuits against President Obama during his AG tenure.
“I go into the office in the morning. I sue Barack Obama, and then I go home,” he has cracked.
He would later become the 48th governor of Texas.
The governor said in January that he would stop accepting refugees due to the “broken immigration system.”
Abbott and his wife Cecilia, a former teacher and principal, were married in 1981.
Greg Abbott speaks to reporters during the final public viewing of George Floyd[/caption]
Why is he in a wheelchair?
Abbott was 26 and a recent law school graduate in the summer of 1984 when he was injured in a freak accident while jogging.
A large oak tree cracked and fell on his back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Two steel rods were inserted near his spine, and they will remain for the rest of his life.
“During his harrowing recovery process, Governor Abbott was reminded of lessons he’d learned all his life, especially the lesson of perseverance,” reads a description on the governor’s website.
“While some politicians talk about having a spine of steel, Governor Abbott actually has one.
“He’ll use his steel spine to fight for you and for every Texas family.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick talks with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott as they wait for President Trump to arrive on June 11[/caption]
Who is Abbott married to?
Cecilia Abbott is the first Hispanic First Lady of Texas.
“Cecilia Abbott’s story reminds us all that the American Dream is alive and well in Texas,” reads her bio.
The granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico, she was raised in San Antonio by parents who were both educators.
She has served as a teacher, vice-principal and principal at several schools in Texas.
The Abbotts have been married for four decades.
Greg Abbott responds to question as Dr Deborah Birx looks on during a press conference on Sunday[/caption]
Does Abbott have children?
Their daughter Audrey is a recent college graduate.
Is Texas still in lockdown?
Abbott has reimposed lockdown restrictions with coronavirus cases swelling in the Lone Star state.
The governor on Friday issued an executive order requiring bars to close and he placed restrictions on outdoor gatherings.
He said he is “pausing” the reopening of the state, according to Marketplace.
“COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” Abbott said recently.
The virus has also taken a devastating turn in many other states around the country in recent weeks.
Abbott told residents to stay indoors.
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“Because the spread is so rampant right now, there is never a reason for you to have to leave your home unless you do need to go out,” he said last week.
“The safest place for you is at your home.”
There have now been 150,000 coronavirus cases in Texas following the recent spike, including 2,400 deaths.