French says the post was about policy, not race
Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner speaking in a radio interview.
“It’s not about race. It’s about policy, Mark. I believe we should be prioritizing Americans, not foreigners. The problem, as I see, that there are, and I think a lot of people agree with this, too many of our institutions are prioritizing people who are not Americans.”
The full case
Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Full radio episode containing French’s direct defense. French said he had nothing against the pictured people specifically and framed the dispute as whether policy should prioritize Americans or foreigners.
Reporting
About this source
Original local reporting that verified the still came from an official Texas Athletics video and published Abbott’s direct response.
Reporting
About this source
Follow-up reporting that quotes French’s radio defense and documents additional attributable reactions.
Before the quotation
French had posted an image of apparent South Asian UT fans, called what it showed a problem, and then connected the image to foreign displacement and UT admissions.
After the quotation
French said he had nothing against the pictured people specifically and continued to frame the dispute as whether policy should prioritize Americans or foreigners.
How this statement is classified
French affirmatively defends the conduct under scrutiny as a legitimate policy argument and rejects the allegation that it was race-based.
- Recorded on
- Published here
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