Gov. Abbott on Trump tariffs, schools, THC ban | Texas: The Issue Is

After a years-long battle to get school choice legislation to his desk, Governor Greg Abbott's crusade is on the verge of completion.

Governor Abbott sat down with FOX 26's Greg Groogan to talk about the ramifications of privatizing at least part of public education, President Trump's tariffs, bond reform and the push to ban THC in Texas.

School Choice

Greg Groogan: "Governor Greg Abbot, you are consistently the most trusted political leader in Texas. Now that said, how can you quell the doubts of naysayers who fear that school choice will hurt public education?"

Gov. Greg Abbott: So we do it with the facts. The facts are these, we are going to ensure that we're going to pass school choice, so parents can choose the school best for their child, while at the very same time ensuring that public schools are receiving record funding. We will be providing per-pupil funding that is at an all-time high, teacher pay raises that will be at an all-time high, but know this also, if you look at where school choice has been applied in other states in the United States, you see those states have excellent and large school choice programs while also ranking the highest in the United States for public education. The fact of the matter is that school choice creates competition among all schools, ensuring a better education for all students."

Trump Tariffs

Groogan: "Governor, I don't have to tell you, Texas is home to the nation's biggest seaport and the nation's biggest inland port in Laredo. That said, are you concerned about the Trump tariffs' impact on the eighth-biggest economy in the world, Texas?"

Gov. Abbott: "We haven't seen any impact so far, and the fact of the matter is, we've maintained great relations with both Canada and Mexico, our two largest trading partners, and we look forward to continuing that. What's going on is a leveling of the playing field across the entire world with the United States, making sure that other countries are not going to be imposing tariffs on the United States without equal treatment. So I think in the end, what the president is doing  is exactly what he campaigned on and it'll take a while for all the details to be worked out, but I think in the end it should be good for the country and good for Texas."

Texas THC Ban

Groogan: "As a former Texas attorney general and our top cop in the state, I think this is a good question for you: Should we ban THC sales or try to better regulate them?"

Gov. Abbott: "Well, that very question is being debated in both chambers as we speak. Here's several things that are being sought to be achieved: one is to deny access by children to high-level THC-content materials, whether it be edibles or drinks or whatever the case may be. Both the House and Senate seem to agree upon that. As it concerns other avenues for adults, there's a difference between the House and Senate that I think will get worked out before the end of the session."

Bond Reform

 (Azul Sordo/The Dallas Morning News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Groogan: "Bond reform is one of your top priorities. Democrats don't want Texans to vote on that issue. What's your message to them to try to persuade them that Texans should have the right to determine whether judges should have this power?"

Gov. Abbott: "The reason why Texans have to vote on it is because bail is in the Constitution itself and what we're seeking to do is to amend the Constitution. We want to change it so that dangerous criminals like murderers are not let back out on the street to commit other murders. There are hundreds of people in Texas who were killed by a murderer who'd been previously arrested for murder, let out on bail only to murder again. That must stop, and we must reform our bail system so that judges are not releasing these dangerous criminals back out onto the streets."

You can watch Texas: The Issue Is on Sunday nights or watch extended editions anytime on FOX LOCAL. In addition to Gov. Abbott's conversation, you can hear the FOX Texas Trio's takes on the upcoming Paxton-Cornyn Senate race.