Is Greg Abbott Trump's favorite governor? Fox Business journalist Neil Cavuto suggests that's the case; Abbott smiles

In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Neil Cavuto, of the Fox Business Network, appears during a segment his program in New York. Cavuto, an anchor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, is recovering from open heart surgery. Fox said Tuesday, June 21, 2016, that he's scheduled to return to hosting his trio of shows on the news and business channels later this year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) less In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Neil Cavuto, of the Fox Business Network, appears during a segment his program in New York. Cavuto, an anchor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, is recovering ... more Photo: Richard Drew, STF Photo: Richard Drew, STF Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Is Greg Abbott Trump's favorite governor? 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Who is President Donald Trump's favorite governor?

Fox Business journalist Neil Cavuto suggested Tuesday that it's Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has worked closely with the White House in Trump's first year in office.

Abbott has had interactions with the Trump Administration in coping with devastating Hurricane Harvey, the Sutherland Springs mass shooting and deploying thousands of National Guard troops to protect the U.S. border with Mexico.

Abbott smiled at Cavuto's suggestion, then deflected to praise Trump.

"He's doing great," the long-time Republican office-holder said of Trump.

In fact, the governor said, he talked to Trump on Monday -- a day in which the president was contemplating a response to the Syrian gas attack on civilians, the troop deployment to the border and an FBI on his personal lawyer's offices.

"He was in a great mood," Abbott said, perhaps a bit surprising considering Trump's visible irritation at an afternoon press briefing when reporters got him talking about the FBI raid.

In turn, Abbott said he and Trump "work well together" in what he characterized as a friendly relationship.

Abbott is in New York for two days this week promoting business investments in Texas while making the rounds of national news shows, including Cavuto's.

Other Abbott comments of note:

The FBI's Monday raid seizing private documents from Trump's lawyer, while the fodder for headlines, does not necessarily indicate that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller will find wrongdoing. Only time will tell, said the governor, a lawyer and former Texas attorney general.

The longer the Mueller probe runs without any court action makes it appear to be the "witch hunt" that Trump has branded it.

A decision by Trump to fire Mueller "could cause some problems," though the governor carefully did not specify what.

He supports a "new, modernized" version of the North American Free Trade Agreement that the Trump Administration is trying to hammer out this month, so long as it protects states like Texas that have benefited hugely from NAFTA. He predicted "an even better NAFTA" as the end result.

Texas officials are prepared for a long-term deployment of Guard troops along the Mexico border to bolster national security. "This is a gap filler" until (Trump) gets to build his wall, Abbott said.

He lauded Trump's trade sanctions on China that, as of Tuesday, have brought the Chinese back to the negotiating table. "This is a signal that the Chinese want to budge," he said.

So, Abbott likes what Trump's doing. No wonder, as Cavuto suggested, he's the president's favorite governor.

Mike Ward, the Houston Chronicle's Austin Bureau chief, covers Abbott and the Executive branch of Texas government, criminal justice and ethics. Follow him on Twitter @ChronicleMike, and email him tips at Mike.Ward@Chron.com.