Texas politicians react to Biden’s visit to Austin: ‘True statesman and patriot’

President Biden visited Austin on Monday to deliver comments at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act and honoring the legacy of a president recently likened to Biden for his decision not to seek reelection in 1968.

His visit prompted several state and local politicians to comment publicly about Biden’s legacy, record, and decision to step down from the ticket in November.

Here is what Texas politicians had to say about President Biden’s visit:

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin

Doggett wrote that Biden was a “true statesman and patriot” in a post to X documenting the president’s arrival at ABIA. His remarks come after the congressmen became the first house Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step down from the ticket.

More: Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s first call for Biden to withdraw sparked a national movement

Mayor Kirk Watson

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wrote on X, “The fact that the American economy is the strongest in the world post-pandemic has everything to do with Joe Biden’s leadership,” in a post containing a photograph of the two politicians shaking hands on the tarmac.

Mayor Watson continued by noting that America owed Biden a “debt of gratitude” both for his leadership in the White House and for his “extraordinary decision to pass the torch of leadership.” Watson finished his statement by pledging a commitment to helping elect Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

More: Bryan Cranston reads from LBJ speech ahead of Biden’s visit to celebrate Civil Rights Act

Texas Governor Greg Abbott

While Abbott did not comment directly on Biden’s remarks at the LBJ library, he did take the opportunity to deride POTUS’ policies regarding the Southern border, emphasizing that Biden would not be visiting the border during his time in Texas.

“Joe Biden & his Border Czar Kamala Harris can come all the way to Texas but not the border,” Abbott wrote on X. “Americans are waiting for them to take this national security crisis seriously.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin

Congressman Casar was also among the handful of politicians who greeted Biden upon landing in Austin. In a statement released following POTUS’ arrival, Casar praised Biden for his recent pledge to reform the Supreme Court, a central topic in his remarks at the LBJ library.

“With term limits for the justices, an ethics code, and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity, we can ensure the Court is balanced and not corrupted by billionaires and extremists,” Casar’s statement read. “These reforms would continue the legacy of President Lyndon Baines Johnson — protecting and advancing civil rights for everyone.”

More: ‘No one is above the law’: Biden calls for sweeping Supreme Court changes

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso

Representative Escobar wrote on X that she was honored to join the President as he commemorated the signing of the Civil Rights Act, a historical moment she described as “representing the culmination of an arduous fight in the never-ending pursuit for equality.

The president was also greeted by Texas Representatives Al Green, Sylvia Garcia, and Lizzie Fletcher as well as Texas Senate and House Minority Leaders Carol Alvaro and Trey Martinez Fischer.