Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a tailgate at the Texas Governor’s Mansion Friday evening ahead of Saturday’s football game against Florida. The tailgate featured remarks from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the UT administration and Board of Regents.
In remarks to guests, Abbott and DeSantis spoke about the academic prestige of their respective universities and the combined economic strength of Texas and Florida. Abbott said the two states share a large portion of the United States’ GDP.
“Texas and Florida are leading America in educating the students of the future, and no two universities do it better than Texas and Florida,” Abbott said.
Kevin Eltife, chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, said UT’s strength comes from its leadership, including UT President Jim Davis and Abbott.
“President Davis is on a mission. He’s done more in his first year than we’ve done the previous five,” Eltife said.
DeSantis discussed his fulfillment of campaign promises during his nearly eight years as governor, including policy and issues relating to immigration and gender identity.
“We fought the big fight,” DeSantis said. “We beat Fauci on Covid, and we’re better for it. We beat George Soros on crime, and we’re better for it. We beat Disney on gender insanity, and for better or for worse, we even beat Martha’s Vineyard on illegal immigration.”
Both Eltife and DeSantis also poked fun at their football team’s season losses. Florida has lost its two most recent games.
“Last week in Dallas was a dumpster fire,” Eltife said. “We did not play well in many aspects of the game, and we handed (Oklahoma) that win. No amount of corny dogs and cocktails can ease the pain.”
Abbott and DeSantis said they made a bet on the game’s outcome. Abbott bet a liter of Dr Pepper, a gallon of Blue Bell ice cream and a bottle of Garrison Brothers bourbon on a Longhorn victory, while DeSantis bet stone crab claws and key lime pie on a Gator win.
“We all know what’s going to happen, don’t we,” Abbott said. “(The) Texas Longhorns are going to bring home a victory tomorrow.”
Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte expressed support for both DeSantis’ and Abbott’s leadership and governance of their states.
“Governor DeSantis does an amazing job leading (his) state,” Del Conte said. “Governor Abbott, what you’re doing for our state is unbelievable. We need to make sure you get reelected.”
The remarks ended with a performance from the Longhorn Band, who played “The Eyes of Texas,” as many in the crowd raised their hands in a “hook ’em” hand sign.
