Republican Congressman from Texas, Brandon Gill, accused by progressive groups, South Asian advocacy circles, and even moderates of blatant racism
NEW DELHI — Texas Republican Congressman Brandon Gill reposted a video of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani eating rice with his hands, a practice common to millions across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Gill posted the video on June 30 with a controversial racist comment against Mamdani. Gill’s caption read: “Civilised people in America don’t eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western culture, go back to the Third World.”
Gill is a hardline Republican and a rising figure in America’s right-wing culture crusade.
His words weren’t just a casual insult. They were a dog whistle—loud, deliberate, and aimed. Mamdani, a Ugandan-born Indian-American who moved to the US as a child, is not just any public figure. He is a proud leftist politician, a Muslim, and a vocal critic of American exceptionalism. For Gill, targeting him was likely strategic.
Remark explodes
Progressive groups, South Asian advocacy circles, and even moderates accused Gill of blatant racism. Many reminded him that eating with hands is not only common across the globe, but even culturally acceptable in many American households, especially when it comes to pizza, tacos, or chicken wings.
Among those who pushed back was Karthik Soora of the Houston Progressive Caucus. “This isn’t about cutlery,” he said. “It’s about telling brown people that they’ll never truly belong—unless they perform whiteness.” Soora pointed out the irony that Gill’s own wife, Danielle D’Souza Gill, is of Indian origin herself. “Gill’s tweet was not just ignorant—it was self-erasing,” he added.
Social media users were quick to point out the hypocrisy in his tweet because Gill is married to an Indian-origin woman, who is the daughter of right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza.
Others posted images of US President Donald Trump having pizza using his hands, condemning Gill’s racist remarks.
For Mamdani, the controversy might as well have been a campaign ad. He responded not with defensiveness, but with affirmation—reposting the video with the caption: “Rice tastes better when you don’t have to perform for whiteness.”
This is the second time Gill, the Republican Congressman from Texas’s 26th District, has faced social media fury for his racially inflammatory remarks. Recently, he posted two images of Los Angeles, criticising mass migration for making America “unrecognisable”. While there was a picture of blonde beach lovers in the 1960s, there was also one of a man grasping a Mexican flag during the Los Angeles riots.
The Zohran Mamdani video was of an online interview where he was eating biryani with his hands and responding to questions about his politics. “Zohran says his worldview is inspired by the 3rd world while eating rice with his hands,” the caption of the clip shared by End Wokeness, a conservative right-wing account on X read.
Ironically, Mamdani was responding to a question regarding taboos in American politics. ‘”The holy grail of taboos in American politics, which includes socialism, Islam and Palestine. You are really going for the trifecta. Tell me why Palestine is part of your politics?” Mamdani was asked.
He replied by saying, “When you grow up in the Third World, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian struggle.” Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala and moved to New York City with his family at the age of seven. — With media inputs
