Texas governor reveals reasons for special working relationship with Trump

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose National Guard troops were recently deployed to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Chicago, revealed the “substantial reason” he has such a good working relationship with the president: “We both believe in the rule of law.

“President Trump and I have had a good, long-standing working relationship, and there’s an important reason for that. We both believe in the rule of law. We both believe in public safety. We both believe in border security,” he explained.

Abbott said he and President Donald Trump “operate closely together to keep our country safe.”

“I am more than happy to partner with the federal government and ensure that our country is as safe as possible,” he added.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said his working relationship with President Donald Trump was based on their shared belief in public safety. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

This comes as some 200 Texas National Guard troops are currently deployed to the Chicago area, tasked with protecting federal law enforcement agents as they conduct immigration enforcement operations.

In recent weeks, the Chicago area has been rocked by anti-ICE protests that have repeatedly escalated into violent disruptions. Large crowds of what DHS called “violent rioters” gathered outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and repeatedly blocked federal vehicles from exiting and entering the facility. Earlier this month, federal agents were rammed and trapped by 10 vehicles, where anti-ICE crowds had been gathering for days. Nearly a dozen people were arrested.

Despite this, DHS said its agents have received little or no support from Illinois Democratic leaders or local and state law enforcement.

Against this backdrop, Abbott authorized Trump to deploy 400 of his Texas National Guard troops to hot spots across the country under Title 10 authority. So far, only about half of those troops have been deployed to Illinois while a lawsuit against the deployment is underway in federal court.

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Uniformed military personnel, wearing the Texas National Guard patch, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (Laura Bargfeld/AP)

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Abbott said deploying Texas National Guard troops, who have gained peacekeeping experience through deployments to the southern border, was “just natural.”

“What the National Guard is trained and competent to do is deal with civil unrest like that. They’ve dealt with civil unrest along the Texas border for the last four years when Joe Biden was president. They’ve dealt with civil unrest even in places in the state of Texas, so I thought it was important to call them and make sure there was no unrest in our state. They are so National Guard soldiers who are very well trained to be able to deal with this type of environment. ” he said. “It’s only natural that, by extension, if there is a need for this elite National Guard to provide assistance anywhere across the country, it would be the (Texas) National Guard that would be called upon.”

Again, Abbott emphasized that the Trump administration shares a common vision with Texas, making them ideal partners.

“What Texas is trying to do is the same thing as the United States. And that’s very simply carrying out the functions of the federal government. One of them is immigration control, and another is public safety. The Texas National Guard, it’s not there to police the city of Chicago or any other place. It’s there to ensure the safety and security of the ability of federal officials to carry out their constitutional duty to enforce the laws of the United States.”

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Then-South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem monitors the southern border with National Guard troops in McAllen, Texas, in July 2021. Noem is now the head of the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration. (Office of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem)

Although he gave no indication of what other collaborations Texas might undertake with the Trump administration in the future, he said Texas remains prepared to deal with whatever is necessary.

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“No one can accurately predict what will happen in the future. What I can predict is how Texas will respond. And that is, whenever the country is in need, Texans will step up and help in any way they can.”

Greg Wehner, Matt Finn, Michael Tobin and Bill Melugin of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.