Tuesday, October 20, 2026

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Abbott hosts tailgate with DeSantis before Texas-Florida football game

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a tailgate Friday evening at the Texas Governor's Mansion before Saturday's football game between Texas and Florida. The event featured remarks from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and UT leaders, and the two governors made a bet on the game's outcome.

Where
Texas Governor's Mansion, Austin, Texas
When
Friday evening, Oct. 16, 2026
Sources
Reported by 3 outlets

Counties: Travis

Taxes and money

The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.

  • Wager on football game1 liter Dr Pepper, 1 gallon Blue Bell ice cream, 1 bottle Garrison Brothers bourbon2 Who pays or receives it: Abbott if Texas loses
  • Wager on football gameStone crab claws and key lime pie2 Who pays or receives it: DeSantis if Florida loses

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Who's involved

  • Greg AbbottTexas Governor
  • Ron DeSantisFlorida Governor
  • Kevin EltifeChairman, University of Texas System Board of Regents
  • Jim DavisUT President
  • Chris Del ConteTexas Athletic Director
  • Longhorn BandPerformed at event

The facts

  • Abbott and DeSantis spoke about the academic prestige of their universities and combined economic strength of Texas and Florida.2
  • Abbott said Texas and Florida lead America in education and Texas and Florida universities are the best.2
  • Eltife said UT President Jim Davis accomplished more in his first year than the previous five years.2
  • DeSantis discussed his fulfillment of campaign promises during his nearly eight years as governor on immigration and gender identity policy.2
  • Abbott and DeSantis made a bet on Saturday's game outcome.2
  • Eltife and DeSantis joked about Florida's two recent game losses.2
  • Del Conte said DeSantis does an amazing job leading Florida and called Abbott's leadership for Texas unbelievable.2

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • Abbott Texas and Florida lead America in educating students; no two universities do it better.2
  • Eltife UT President Davis accomplished more in first year than previous five years combined.2
  • Abbott Texas Longhorns will bring home victory tomorrow.2
  • DeSantis We beat Fauci on Covid, George Soros on crime, Disney on gender matters.2

How they headlined it

The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.

  • Abbott hosts Texas vs Florida tailgate

    FOX 7 Austin

  • Gov. Greg Abbott hosts Florida governor, UT leaders ahead of football game

    The Daily Texan

  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott

    TMZ

Sources

Outlets: 2 not rated Who's covering Texas →

These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.

  1. Abbott hosts Texas vs Florida tailgate FOX 7 Austin Not rated, October 16, 2026
  2. Gov. Greg Abbott hosts Florida governor, UT leaders ahead of football game The Daily Texan Not rated, October 17, 2026

Also reported by TMZ.

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

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