Texas Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O’Rourke lost his cool with a man who laughed while the former congressman was talking about the Uvalde school massacre — calling him a “motherf—er.”
O’Rourke, who has been vocal in his condemnation of local and state officials’ response to the tragedy at Robb Elementary School, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers, was in the city of Mineral Wells on Wednesday arguing for stricter gun control measures when he heard a loud chortle coming from an audience member.
O’Rourke whipped around and immediately confronted the inappropriately jovial town hall attendee.
“It may be funny to you, motherf—er, but it’s not funny to me,” O’Rourke barked back.
O’Rourke, a Democrat who is running to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott, was talking about gun control in Mineral Wells, Texas, Wednesday, when he encountered a hackler. Twitter/Beto MediaWhen O’Rourke heard the man laugh in response to his comments about the Uvalde shooting, he snapped: “it may be funny to you, motherf—er, but it’s not funny to me.”Twitter/Beto Media
The would-be governor’s potty-mouthed clapback drew loud cheers and applause from the crowd, culminating with a standing ovation.
The unnamed audience member was reportedly standing among a small clique of supporters of Gov. Greg Abbott who were dressed in black and displaying the Republican incumbent’s campaign signs.
After his fiery town hall speech, O’Rourke tweeted: “there was nothing more serious to me than getting justice for the families in Uvalde and stopping this from ever happening again.”
O’Rourke’s response was widely praised by Democrats on Twitter, while a few conservatives slammed him for using foul language.
“@BetoORourke captures the anger and frustration that so many of us feel when people like this heckler and @GovAbbott show no compassion for Uvalde victims and their families,” wrote the Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents Uvalde.
Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, applauded O’Route for “calling it like it is.”
A day after the school shooting on May 24, O’Rourke famously interrupted Abbott and local officials press conference, demanding action on gun control in what was widely perceived as an ill-timed campaign stunt.
O’Rourke famously hacked Gov. Abbott during a press conference held a day after the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP via Getty Images
“The time to stop the next shooting is right now, and you are doing nothing,” the liberal politician said, before he was escorted out.
The former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate will face off against Abbott at the polls in November.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tapped into his inner “Dirty Harry” on Wednesday and publicly dared Mayor Eric Adams to “make my day” by carrying through on his threat to send New Yorkers to campaign against his re-election bid.
Abbott also vowed to keep sending busloads of asylum-seekers to New York City, saying Adams was merely “getting a taste” of what beleaguered border communities have been dealing with in the Lone Star State since President Biden took office.
Abbott’s comments on Fox News came amid his ongoing feud with Adams over migrant relocations and just hours after three charter buses hired by Abbott dropped off nearly 100 migrants outside the Port Authority terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
The transports added to almost 70 who arrived on Friday and Sunday.
In response to Adams’ threat Tuesday that he was “deeply contemplating taking a busload of New Yorkers to go to Texas and do some good, old-fashioned door-knocking” against Abbott, the Republican governor said, “You know, I kind of feels like Clint Eastwood.”
“Go ahead, Major. Make my day,” he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Mayor Eric Adams to “make my day” in response to Adams’ threats to send New Yorkers to Texas to campaign against him.foxnews
The taunt echoed Eastwood’s iconic line from the 1983 movie “Sudden Impact,” in which his San Francisco detective character “Dirty Harry” faced off against a robber who was holding a coffee shop waitress at gunpoint.
Then-President Ronald Reagan also famously invoked Eastwood’s words in 1985 when he threatened to veto “any tax increase that Congress might even think of sending up.”
“And I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead. Make my day,” he added.
Abbott said the buses of migrants is giving Adams “a taste” of what border towns go through in Texas.Matthew McDermott
Abbott said there “could hardly be anything better” for him than for Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke to be “aided by a bunch of New Yorkers.”
“That will not be viewed very positively by the state of Texas,” he said.
Abbott also accused Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, of “rank hypocrisy” for attacking his motives for him in responding to what he calls President Biden’s “open border policies.”
“Listen, New York is a sanctuary city,” Abbott said.
A bus carrying migrants from Texas arriving at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on August 10, 2022.AFP Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images Getty Images
“Mayor Adams said that they welcome illegal immigrants. And now once they have to deal with the reality of it, they’re suddenly flummoxed and they cannot handle it.”
Abbott added: “They are now getting a taste of what we’re having to deal with… the challenges that Texas is dealing with every day.”
“Only when they see that will the Biden ministration begin to have to realize the Biden administration is gonna have to finally start enforcing the laws passed by Congress that secure the border,” he said.
Migrants getting off the bus in Manhattan after being driven from Texas.Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Adams responded during an unrelated afternoon news conference in Queens, saying of Abbott, “I know he thinks he’s Clint Eastwood, but he’s not.” “He is an anti-American governor that is really going against everything we stand for,” Adams blasted in response to a question from The Post. “And I am going to do everything feasible to make sure Texans, the people of Texas, realize how harmful he is to us globally.” Adams then called Abbott a “global embarrassment.” “Because this is not what we do as Americans,” the mayor said. “All of us — and I’m sure if he goes into his lineage, he came from somewhere. And if his ancestors of him were treated the way he’s treating these asylum seekers and migrants, then he would not be where he is right now. The mayor said that “without the proper coordination,” the city was “unable to receive people at one location and give them the support they deserve…but often they end up at our intake centers.” Adams also called on New Yorkers to assist the migrants, saying that “if anyone in the city sees someone that they believe needs the assistance, we’re asking them to point them and direct them to the intake centers.
A man could be seen handing money to the migrants as they got off the bus Wednesday.Georgette Roberts
The Biden administration quietly ended the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy Monday — clearing the way for potentially tens of thousands more migrants to enter the US and stay here while their applications for asylum are processed.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it would no longer enroll asylum-seekers in the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program – which forced about 70,000 people back south of the border over the past three years to await their immigration hearings.
Abbott, who began sending migrants to Washington in April, said that “our goal is to, for one, help our local communities and in doing so send even more buses to New York, to DC and maybe even to other communities to alleviate the challenge we dealing with.”
In addition, Abbott said he wanted “to continue to expose this national catastrophe caused by President Biden.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tapped into his inner “Dirty Harry” on Wednesday and publicly dared Mayor Eric Adams to “make my day” by carrying through on his threat to send New Yorkers to campaign against his re-election bid.
Abbott also vowed to keep sending busloads of asylum-seekers to New York City, saying Adams was merely “getting a taste” of what beleaguered border communities have been dealing with in the Lone Star State since President Biden took office.
Abbott’s comments on Fox News came amid his ongoing feud with Adams over migrant relocations and just hours after three charter buses hired by Abbott dropped off nearly 100 migrants outside the Port Authority terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
The transports added to almost 70 who arrived on Friday and Sunday.
In response to Adams’ threat Tuesday that he was “deeply contemplating taking a busload of New Yorkers to go to Texas and do some good, old-fashioned door-knocking” against Abbott, the Republican governor said, “You know, I kind of feels like Clint Eastwood.”
“Go ahead, Major. Make my day,” he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Mayor Eric Adams to “make my day” in response to Adams’ threats to send New Yorkers to Texas to campaign against him.foxnews
The taunt echoed Eastwood’s iconic line from the 1983 movie “Sudden Impact,” in which his San Francisco detective character “Dirty Harry” faced off against a robber who was holding a coffee shop waitress at gunpoint.
Then-President Ronald Reagan also famously invoked Eastwood’s words in 1985 when he threatened to veto “any tax increase that Congress might even think of sending up.”
“And I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead. Make my day,” he added.
Abbott said the buses of migrants is giving Adams “a taste” of what border towns go through in Texas.Matthew McDermott
Abbott said there “could hardly be anything better” for him than for Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke to be “aided by a bunch of New Yorkers.”
“That will not be viewed very positively by the state of Texas,” he said.
Abbott also accused Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, of “rank hypocrisy” for attacking his motives for him in responding to what he calls President Biden’s “open border policies.”
“Listen, New York is a sanctuary city,” Abbott said.
A bus carrying migrants from Texas arriving at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on August 10, 2022.AFP Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images Getty Images
“Mayor Adams said that they welcome illegal immigrants. And now once they have to deal with the reality of it, they’re suddenly flummoxed and they cannot handle it.”
Abbott added: “They are now getting a taste of what we’re having to deal with… the challenges that Texas is dealing with every day.”
“Only when they see that will the Biden ministration begin to have to realize the Biden administration is gonna have to finally start enforcing the laws passed by Congress that secure the border,” he said.
Migrants getting off the bus in Manhattan after being driven from Texas.Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Adams responded during an unrelated afternoon news conference in Queens, saying of Abbott, “I know he thinks he’s Clint Eastwood, but he’s not.” “He is an anti-American governor that is really going against everything we stand for,” Adams blasted in response to a question from The Post. “And I am going to do everything feasible to make sure Texans, the people of Texas, realize how harmful he is to us globally.” Adams then called Abbott a “global embarrassment.” “Because this is not what we do as Americans,” the mayor said. “All of us — and I’m sure if he goes into his lineage, he came from somewhere. And if his ancestors of him were treated the way he’s treating these asylum seekers and migrants, then he would not be where he is right now. The mayor said that “without the proper coordination,” the city was “unable to receive people at one location and give them the support they deserve…but often they end up at our intake centers.” Adams also called on New Yorkers to assist the migrants, saying that “if anyone in the city sees someone that they believe needs the assistance, we’re asking them to point them and direct them to the intake centers.
Abbott’s comments came after three buses dropped off nearly 100 migrants in Manhattan.NY Post/Georgett Roberts
The Biden administration quietly ended the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy Monday — clearing the way for potentially tens of thousands more migrants to enter the US and stay here while their applications for asylum are processed.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it would no longer enroll asylum-seekers in the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program – which forced about 70,000 people back south of the border over the past three years to await their immigration hearings.
Abbott, who began sending migrants to Washington in April, said that “our goal is to, for one, help our local communities and in doing so send even more buses to New York, to DC and maybe even to other communities to alleviate the challenge we dealing with.”
In addition, Abbott said he wanted “to continue to expose this national catastrophe caused by President Biden.”
