Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott finally issued a statewide mask mandate after weeks of pressure from public health professionals. But during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Friday, Gov. Abbott credits Fox News host Sean Hannity for Texans wearing masks after preaching about it on his show “every night”.
According to a Survey Monkey poll shared exclusively with Axios, Gov. Abbott’s approval rating—like the rest of the Republican governors in the hardest-hit states— has taken a nosedive. Even among Republicans Gov. Abbott’s approval rating for his handling of the coronavirus fell from 89 percent after Memorial Day to 69 percent.
However, during his interview on Fox & Friends Abbott was asked to explain the “jump” in his approval rating for his handling of the virus.
He started his answer by admitting that he thought Texas had beaten COVID back in April when he issued several executive orders to begin the reopening process after a decrease in cases. “A lot of people let down their guard and didn’t follow the protocols to make sure that we would not transmit it.”
He continued: “It took a while for people to come to grips with the reality that COVID is still here in the state of Texas, it hasn’t been eliminated and as a result, we all need to get back to the best practices to make sure that first, we recognize that COVID is real and second, make sure we use the appropriate measures to reduce the spread. What Texas has begun to do is exactly what Sean Hannity preaches every night and that is to wear a mask.”
