In a wide-ranging interview with Axios published Thursday, Texas Gov, Greg Abbott, said that he is confident that Donald Trump will become president of the United States, despite a barrage of negative media coverage.
Abbott was joined on the podcast by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, both of whom have been outspoken critics of Trump.
Abbott, a Republican who has been critical of Trump, called Trump a “dishonest, deceitful, deceit-promoting, liar-scandal-mongering” candidate.
“I believe Donald Trump can be president of our great nation,” Abbott said.
“He is the best person to lead the country, and I believe he will do the best job of representing the American people.”
Abbott said he was also impressed with Trump’s ability to work with other Republicans, particularly Speaker Paul Ryan, who he said was “a great communicator.”
Abbot also credited Trump with helping Republicans win the House and Senate in 2018.
He said the president has proven he can “pull together and bring together people who have different viewpoints and differences” and has “a vision and a desire to make things better.”
Abbots endorsement came after he was among the most vocal critics of the GOP nominee.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Abbott was among a handful of Texas governors who voted to expel Trump from the state party.