Critics pile on after MAGA lawmaker stands up for being 'racist': 'Certainly a choice'

A MAGA congressman's attempt to defend his wing from accusations of racism backfired after online critics laid into him.Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) took to X with a post that featured a picture of him with a serious expression and one of his quotes pulled and in bold.The left has one debate tactic: call you a racist and pray you shut up, the quote read. I never will.However, online critics responded by doing more than calling him racist, as they reacted by piling on more attacks and insults against Gill and MAGA.Being proud of being racist is certainly a choice, internet personality Jared Shult reacted.That's fine, wrote veteran political commentator Jonah Goldberg. Really. One caveat: that doesn't mean it's okay to be racist.The popular account Polling USA, which posts political data and commentary, responded to Gill with, I keep forgetting this guy is a legitimate member of Congress and not a satire account.No one is calling you racist as an attempt to scare you into shutting up, wrote Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI). We call you racist because you refer to Indian Americans as '7-eleven workers.'Thanedar also posted a screenshot of one of Gill's past posts, reading, We don't need to import 7-Eleven workers from India or anywhere across the globe. Hire Americans.The fact that you married an Indian American shows that you're just a grifter pandering to a racist base, continued Thanedar. How pathetic it must be to be that cheap.Meanwhile, journalist Zaid Jilani wrote, Let's check back in November 2026 how much people like your brand of white nationalist politics.