The political ring got rowdy this week as Texas Congressman Keith Self took aim at fellow Texan Rep. Jasmine Crockett over her “Governor Hot Wheels” jab at Governor Greg Abbott, a wheelchair user since a 1984 accident. Self, appearing on TMZ Live Wednesday, March 26, 2025, branded Crockett a “bully” for mocking Abbott’s disability during a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles on March 22. But when pressed on a 2015 clip of President Donald Trump mimicking disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski, Self clammed up, exposing a glaring double standard that’s got X buzzing and the controversy boiling. As Crockett stands firm—no apology, just a policy-focused defense—this clash is a 2025 snapshot of partisan sniping, disability sensitivity, and Trump-era hypocrisy. Here’s the full scoop on this escalating Texas-sized feud.
The “Hot Wheels” Firestorm
Crockett’s quip came mid-speech at the HRC event, where she riffed, “We in these hot a** Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a** mess, honey!” The crowd laughed, but the backlash was swift. Abbott, 67, has used a wheelchair since a tree crushed his spine while jogging at age 26, a story of resilience that’s core to his political brand. Crockett’s line—playful to some, cruel to others—lit a fuse among conservatives.
Enter Keith Self, a Republican rep from Texas’s 3rd District, who hit TMZ Live to unload. “She’s a bully,” he said, voice tight with indignation. “There’s a difference between self-deprecation—Greg can joke about himself—and brutally taking down someone else.” Self argued Crockett’s comment crossed a line, unfit for Congress. But he dangled a twist: “I almost don’t want her censured. She’s so bad for the Democrats, I’d let her keep talking and watch her sink them.” It’s a savage flex—Self sees Crockett as a liability, a gift to the GOP if left unchecked.
The Trump Curveball
Then TMZ Live dropped the bomb: a 2015 clip of Trump, then a candidate, flailing his arms to mock New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis, a joint condition. “You gotta see this guy,” Trump said at a South Carolina rally, mimicking Kovaleski’s bent limbs. The moment went viral, a stain on Trump’s first campaign. Host Harvey Levin pressed Self: How’s this different? Self froze. “I’m not here to talk about that,” he repeated, dodging like a boxer. “I’m focused on Crockett, not past clips.” The sidestep was deafening—a GOP stalwart refusing to reckon with his party’s kingpin.
X lit up with the hypocrisy callouts. “Self’s mad at Crockett but mum on Trump? Same energy, different team,” one post read. Another jabbed, “Keith Self’s selective outrage is peak MAGA—Trump gets a pass, Crockett gets a lecture.” It’s a raw nerve in 2025: Trump’s January inauguration has his base riding high, but his past taunts—Kovaleski, “Pocahontas” for Elizabeth Warren—still haunt the discourse.
Crockett’s Defiant Stand
Crockett, 44, a Dallas Democrat in her second term, didn’t flinch. On X, she fired back: “I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.” She tied “Hot Wheels” to Abbott’s busing of migrants to blue cities from 2022–2024, not his wheelchair. “The next line was ‘hot a** mess’—it’s about his policies,” she insisted. No apology, no retreat—just a pivot to Trump’s fans: “I’m appalled the same people who cheer Trump’s insensitive nicknames are now clutching pearls.”
Her defense split the room. Supporters on X rallied: “Crockett’s a fighter—Republicans can’t handle her heat.” Critics scoffed: “That’s a weak cleanup—she knew what she was doing.” Abbott, on Hannity March 25, dismissed her excuse: “They have no vision, no policy—just hate. Texas stays red because Americans see through it.”
Self’s Game Plan
Self, 71, a retired Army colonel elected in 2022, leaned into the fracas. On TMZ Live, he painted Crockett as a Democratic albatross. “She’s their mouthpiece now—let her talk,” he grinned, suggesting her gaffes could tank the party’s 29% approval (Gallup, March 2025). He stopped short of pushing Rep. Randy Weber’s censure resolution—filed March 25 to rebuke Crockett’s “discriminatory” remark—but didn’t rule it out. “Congress shouldn’t have to babysit this,” he said, hinting at bigger battles.
The Trump dodge, though, undercut his moral high ground. “Self’s a hypocrite—Trump mocked a reporter, and he’s silent,” an X user posted, echoing a viral GIF of Trump’s 2015 flail. Self’s focus stayed narrow: Crockett’s the villain, Abbott’s the victim, period.
The Texas Context
This isn’t just a D.C. spat—it’s Texas turf war. Abbott, governor since 2015, is a Trump ally whose migrant busing and border crackdowns define his tenure. Crockett, a rising progressive star, reps Dallas’s Black and working-class 30th District, clashing with Abbott’s policies at every turn. Her “Hot Wheels” zinger—tied to migration or not—lands in a state where disability hits home: 11% of Texans live with one (CDC, 2024). Self, from Collin County’s GOP stronghold, backs Abbott’s red wave vision.
The HRC dinner backdrop adds spice. Crockett’s pro-LGBTQ crowd loved her fire, but conservatives see it as elite snark. “She’s laughing at a paralyzed man while preaching inclusion—rich,” one X post sniped.
Why It’s Blowing Up in 2025
This dustup’s a cultural Molotov. Trump’s return has MAGA flexing, but his past taunts—like Kovaleski’s—dog the GOP’s outrage machine. Crockett’s unfiltered style—see her 2024 “bleach blonde, bad built” spat with Marjorie Taylor Greene—makes her a Democratic pitbull, adored by the base, loathed by the right. Disability rights advocates wince, too: “The stigma’s real—‘Hot Wheels’ stings,” one told WFAA. Yet, her migrant-policy spin keeps it partisan, not personal, in her playbook.
“Keith Self Jasmine Crockett,” “Governor Hot Wheels backlash,” “Trump disability mockery 2025”—is trending. X’s meme game is on: “Self dodging Trump like…” with Neo from The Matrix. Shareability’s sky-high—TMZ Live’s full Self interview, airing March 26, is must-see TV.
The Bigger Stakes
Crockett faces censure heat—Weber’s resolution could hit the House floor soon, a rare rebuke used five times since 2021 (Politico). Self’s “let her sink the Dems” gambit bets on her alienating moderates. But her defiance—and Trump’s shadow—might rally her base instead. “Dems won’t win bowing to GOP fake tears,” an X supporter posted, nodding to Trump’s free pass.
Abbott, unscathed, keeps rolling. Self stays loyal. Crockett doubles down. And 2025’s political circus spins on—hypocrisy, humor, and all.
Final Thoughts
Keith Self’s TMZ Live takedown of Jasmine Crockett’s “Governor Hot Wheels” barb was a haymaker—until Trump’s 2015 ghost jabbed back. “She’s a bully,” Self roared, but his Trump dodge left the ring muddy. Crockett’s unbowed, spinning policy over pity, while X feasts on the chaos. This Texas tussle isn’t just about a nickname—it’s 2025’s culture war in microcosm. Tune into TMZ Live—Self’s full rant drops today. Game on.
