French says the post was about policy, not race
Bo FrenchRepublican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner speaking in a radio interview.
French said the post concerned admissions and immigration policy rather than race. He defended prioritizing Americans over non-Americans and said institutions were giving preference to people who are not American.
Responding to
UT prioritizes foreigners over Texans in admissions.
“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.”
Interview
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Bo French in this case
- Bo French recasts the dispute as a complaint about DEI admissionsSame day: Defended or excused
- French says his UT fan posts were about culture, not raceLater: Challenged the characterization
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
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
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
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
More from this case
Read the full caseRosenthal calls donations a rejection of French
“The people are rejecting this bold, racist campaign of his.”Read statement
Krishnamoorthi calls French’s UT fan post a xenophobic attack
“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.”Read statement
Cornyn says he will not vote for French, calling him "an embarrassment to the Republican Party"
“He's an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and he's going to drag the whole ticket down because of his racist comments.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- French says the post was about policy, not race
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/573-french-said-the-post-concerned-admissions-and-immigration
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "French says the post was about policy, not race". First published: 2026-09-15. Last updated: 2026-09-15. https://disputeindex.com/events/573-french-said-the-post-concerned-admissions-and-immigration