Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been slammed for carrying on with his business trip to Asia while Hurricane Beryl batters his state.
Monday morning, Hurricane Beryl came on shore as a category 1 storm, dumping at least 10 inches of water on Houston.
With winds stronger than 90 mph, as many as 2.7 million people in the great Houston area were left without power and two people have been killed.
But Abbott was nowhere to be seen as emergency responders raced to save lives.
He was bone dry seven thousand miles away rubbing shoulders with Korean businessmen and dignitaries in Taiwan as part of the trip to boost Texas’s ‘relations’ with Asia.
Texas’ governor is being criticized for not canceling an economic tour to Asia while his state braced for a hurricane
Beryl slammed into Houston this week with 80mph winds and torrential rain that left some motorists stranded
‘#AsianAbbott is taking “leadership” cues from #CancunCruz. And this trip is the ABSOLUTE LEAST productive use of OUR TAX DOLLARS for Texas,’ tweeted @HKR30754663.
‘Asia Abbott is a comparison to the nickname given to US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in 2021.
He notoriously fled the Lone Star State during the worst freeze in state history that killed over 700 people state wide.
Cruz was then called ‘Cancun Cruz.’
Unlike Cruz, Abbott was on state business abroad.
He left Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick in charge as state preparations for Beryl began last week.
Abbott’s has already made stops in South Korea and Taiwan, and had planned to also visit Japan.
Abbott has been on a multi-day economic trip in Asia
As 2.7 million Texans were left without power due to massive flooding, many were wondering why Abbott had decided to carry on with a business trip to Asia instead of staying in Austin to direct the emergency response to Beryl.
‘Read the room,’ one social media user responded to Abbott’s posts about his trips.
Many in the Houston area were stuck at home without power Monday.
‘My power went out in Galveston in the middle of the night and I’m sure it will be out for days while we try to ride out the storm in 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity, but I’m glad you’re having a nice vacation,’ @mollywwid tweeted.
The mayor of Houston said he too was suffering through no having no power and air conditioning along with millions of others in +90 degree heat and sweltering humidity.
‘I do not have power. We’re all living this together. We’re all in this together.’
At least two people died as a result of the storm, officials confirmed.
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to the timing of his trip.
‘I met with President @ChingteLai; signed an Economic Development Statement of Intent with Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo; AND announced the State of Texas Taiwan Office,’ tweeted Abbott
Abbott meeting with officials in Seoul
However, his office did proudly announce he intended to open a Texas in Taiwan.
None of the countries Abbott is visiting are his state’s number one trading partner.
Texas exported $129.5 billion in goods to Mexico in 2023, representing 29 percent of the state’s total goods exports, according to government statistics.
South Korea does ranks as the state’s fourth largest trading partner.
‘South Korea leads all nations for foreign direct investment by amount of total capital investment in Texas over the last decade,’ the governor’s office said in a press release.
‘Over the past 10 full years through 2023, companies from South Korea have invested $20.59 billion in 38 projects creating more than 7,000 jobs in Texas.