Texas Governor Greg Abbott found himself at the center of social media backlash and mockery after mistakenly offering condolences to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter following the death of her husband, former President Jimmy Carter. The gaffe quickly went viral, as Rosalynn Carter had passed away more than a year earlier in November 2023 at the age of 96.
Abbott’s Misguided Condolences Spark Online Uproar
Shortly after news broke of Jimmy Carter’s passing at age 100, Governor Abbott released a statement expressing his “prayers and deepest condolences” to Rosalynn Carter and the rest of the family. The blunder was swiftly pointed out by the Democratic Party of Collins County, Texas, who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to question whether anyone in the governor’s office had proofread the condolence note.
The mistake ignited a firestorm of criticism and jokes at Abbott’s expense. One user wrote, “Condolences to Rosalynn Carter? She passed in Nov of 2023. WTF is wrong with you?” The embarrassing error quickly spread across social media, with many users expressing disbelief at the governor’s lack of attention to detail.
Corrected Statement Issued Hours Later
It took several hours for Abbott’s office to issue an amended statement, removing the reference to Rosalynn Carter. The revised version simply read, “Cecilia and I send our prayers and deepest condolences to the entire family.” Despite the correction, the damage had been done, with screenshots of the original gaffe continuing to circulate online.
Abbott’s History of Social Media Missteps
This is not the first time Governor Abbott has found himself in hot water over a social media blunder. In the summer of 2023, amidst conservative backlash against Bud Light for hiring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Abbott shared a fake news article from a satirical website claiming that country singer Garth Brooks had been booed off stage by “patriots” over his support of the beer brand.
“Go woke. Go Broke,” Abbott wrote, seemingly unaware that the article was a parody from the Dunning-Kruger-Times satirical website.
Eagle-eyed users quickly pointed out Abbott’s mistake, prompting the governor to delete the post. However, the incident had already been immortalized through screenshots and became fodder for further mockery of the Republican leader.
Abbott’s Conservative Agenda in Texas
Greg Abbott has served as the governor of Texas since 2015, pursuing a staunchly conservative agenda that includes unwavering support for the gun industry, opposition to immigration, and efforts to infuse public education with Christian values. Despite his controversial policies and occasional social media gaffes, Abbott remains a prominent figure in Texas politics.
As the nation mourns the loss of former President Jimmy Carter, a globally respected humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Governor Abbott’s ill-timed condolence gaffe serves as a reminder of the importance of careful fact-checking and proofreading in the age of instant social media communication. While the mistake may be attributed to human error, it has undoubtedly provided Abbott’s critics with ammunition to question his attention to detail and sensitivity during a time of national mourning.
