This week saw Texas Governor Greg Abbott harshly criticize Portland, OR due to Walmart closures in the region. He re-tweeted a news article (bizarrely taken from 2022) which was based on remarks made from Donald Trump at the CPAC.

Obviously, Trump has been a longstanding critic of Portland, so his views are not surprising. In this sense, neither are the comments made by Abbott. Taking to Twitter, Abbott wrote “All Portland stores to permanently close in late March. This is what happens when cities refuse to enforce the rule of law. It also allows the mob to take over. Businesses can’t operate in that environment, and people can’t live in it.”

However, eagle-eyed Portland natives quickly pointed out an issue with Abbott’s point, which is that Texas had some of the biggest Walmart closures in the country. In a separate 2022 article, it claimed that Texas had closed 29 Walmart stores in ‘recent years’, whereas Oregon had a mere 2 closures. It goes without saying that Abbott’s remarks were not well-researched at all.

Regardless of your political views, it is quite funny (and equally infuriating) to see someone try to politicize something without paying attention to similar issues that are closer to home. In my humble opinion, this is another case of an ill-informed politician trying to take a pot-shot for some quick points, rather than actually talking about real issues.

As ever, stay strong people of Oregon! We are what make this state such a great, vibrant and enjoyable place to live in.