Texas Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera is facing backlash online after a resurfaced video clip caught him making a racist joke. The remark sparked widespread criticism for invoking a harmful, racist stereotype regarding Chinese people and the consumption of household pets.
Herrera, a popular firearms YouTuber known online as “The AK Guy,” is running for the US House of Representatives in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. During a past appearance on a podcast, he said that unadopted kittens should be sent to Chinese restaurants.
During the conversation, Glabach recalled adopting a kitten and later adopting its three siblings after learning that they were going to be euthanised. This isn’t the first time Herrera has courted controversy with his statements. Herrera, a self-described Second Amendment activist, was endorsed by President Donald Trump for the November election after his primary rival exited the race amid an ethics investigation. “As your next Congressman, he will work tirelessly to advance our MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Agenda.
“I hate to see animals put down for no reason,” Herrera said before adding: “Like, the very bare minimum, they could at least collaborate with the local Chinese restaurant and some sort of like…don’t let it go to waste, you know? In a 2023 video, he said that a gun range dummy’s empty head was “full of mush, much like the average Austin feminist”, and in a separate 2024 video, he likened the weight of “angry blue-haired” feminists to that of orca whales and elephants. “Brandon is strongly supported by many Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in Texas, and Republicans in the US House,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Brandon will fight hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Advance Made In The USA., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Safeguard our Elections, Champion School Choice, Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump added.
Herrera made the kittens remark last year on The Josie Show, a podcast hosted by Josie Glabach.
