Krishnamoorthi calls French’s UT fan post a xenophobic attack
Raja KrishnamoorthiU.S. representative for Illinois
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi characterized Bo French’s earlier UT Austin fan post as a xenophobic attack while interpreting a later Department of Education post as connected to it.
“The Department of Education seems to be playing dog whistles to Bo French’s tune just days after his xenophobic attack on South Asian students for cheering for their own college football team. South Asian Americans are as American as anyone.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
After the University of Texas football team’s September 12, 2026 comeback win over Ohio State, Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French posted a still image of apparent South Asian fans and called what it showed a “problem.” He later said social media was exposing Americans being displaced by foreigners and accused UT of prioritizing foreigners over Texans. French and several supporters framed the posts as a legitimate criticism of immigration and admissions policy. Republican and Democratic officials, along with other commentators, condemned the use of the fans’ appearance as racist or xenophobic. Governor Greg Abbott rejected French’s interpretation of the image while reaffirming support for restrictive immigration policies.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Krishnamoorthi publicly interpreted the Department of Education’s football post as connected to French’s earlier UT fan-post controversy and described French’s post as xenophobic. The Department’s post itself did not name French.
Before the quotation
The Department of Education had posted “MAKE COLLEGE FOOTBALL GREAT AGAIN” without naming Bo French, the University of Texas, or the UT fan-post controversy.
After the quotation
The Department did not state that its post was connected to French. Krishnamoorthi’s statement identifies his own interpretation of the post and his evaluation of French’s earlier conduct.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the UT fan post under review, Krishnamoorthi expressly calls the conduct a xenophobic attack. His interpretation of the Department of Education post provides context but does not displace the direct condemnation of French’s post.
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- People and groups discussed
- Bo French
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The Dispute Index. "Krishnamoorthi calls French’s UT fan post a xenophobic attack". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1373-representative-raja-krishnamoorthi-characterized-bo-french-s-earlier