In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticized President Biden’s State of The Union address, arguing that the president took too long to address immigration and provided “no solutions” to the issue.

What You Need To Know

  • In an interview with NBC News, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was critical of President Biden's State of the Union address, underwhelmed by the president's stance on immigration reform

  • The address was held around the time of the three-year anniversary of Abbott's unveiling of Operation Lone Star, his controversial plan to address immigration which includes installing razor wire and floating buoy barriers on the Rio Grande, busing migrants to Democrat-led cities across the U.S. and increasing police and military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border

  • In recent months, Abbott has been sparring with the Biden administration over control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, where migrants have drowned attempting to cross the border

  • Abbott defended his use of the word “invasion” to describe what is happening on the U.S.-Mexico border. He also criticized the bipartisan border bill that was struck down by Republicans in Congress in February

The president’s annual address, held on March 7, came around the time of the three-year anniversary of when Abbott unveiled Operation Lone Star, his controversial plan to address immigration which includes installing razor wire and floating buoy barriers on the Rio Grande, busing migrants to Democrat-led cities across the U.S. and increasing police and military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“He is doing nothing about the border,” Abbott told NBC News’ senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez. The Republican governor called the address a “slap in the face.”

In recent months, Abbott has been sparring with the Biden administration over control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, where migrants have drowned attempting to cross the border.

“Clearly, nationally and in every single state, there’s a number one issue in America, and that’s securing the border. He (Biden) has failed. And he waited 40 minutes to even bring it up. And when he brought it up, he provided no solutions whatsoever, and hardly any empathy whatsoever,” Abbott said. “He gave a slap in the face to an overwhelming majority of Americans, including even Democrats, who say ‘Do something about the border,’ and he is doing nothing about the border.”

When asked if immigration enforcement should be left to the federal government, Abbott said states have the authority to “push back against smugglers.”

On Saturday, protesters gathered at the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin to rally against a Texas law that would allow police to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally, which Abbott signed into law back in December. Unless the courts intervene, the law will go into effect on Wednesday.

Abbott defended his use of the word “invasion” to describe what is happening on the U.S.-Mexico border. He also criticized the bipartisan border bill that was struck down by Republicans in Congress in February.

“What is in the U.S. Senate is not a border bill, it’s a Ukraine funding bill with some gimmicks added to it that do absolutely nothing to decrease crossings and actually it cements and allows crossings across the border,” Abbott said. “If we had a genuine leader as POTUS who really did want to get something done to secure the border, he would work with his own party to work with a Republican-passed bill to get that law passed.”

Abbott didn't attend the State of the Union, but some fellow lawmakers seemed to share in his disdain for Biden's plan to address immigration.

Despite an effort by House Speaker Mike Johnson to remind GOP members to "maintain decorum" during the address, the president was booed when he brought up the bipartisan border deal, saying it had “the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.”

When asked if he wants to be Donald Trump’s vice president, Abbott did not decline outright.

“My goal is singular, and that is to be the leader of the great state of Texas,” Abbott said.