Brandon Gill Faces Backlash After Rep Shri Thanedar Says He Called Indian Americans 7-Eleven Workers

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) posted on X on Thursday with a pull quote and caption saying, “The left has one debate tactic: call you a racist and pray you shut up. I never will,” as critics responded to his defense from accusations of racism.

“A MAGA congressman's attempt to defend his wing from accusations of racism backfired after online critics laid into him”

Raw Story

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) replied on X that “No one is calling you racist as an attempt to scare you into shutting up,” and said Gill was called racist because he referred to Indian Americans as “7-Eleven workers.”

Raw Story

The Daily Beast reported that Gill told then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to “go back to the Third World” last June over footage of the Muslim Indian-American New Yorker eating rice with his hands.

The Daily Beast also said Gill let podcaster Benny Johnson’s claim that Somalis are innately less intelligent go unchallenged during an April appearance, and that Gill argued migrants from the East African country are a “net drain” on the U.S. economy.

In a separate account of the same exchange, Raw Story said online critics “piled on” after Gill’s post, including Jared Shult reacting, “Being proud of being racist is certainly a choice.”

Thanedar’s response centered on Gill’s earlier posts, with Raw Story quoting Thanedar saying, “We call you racist because you refer to Indian Americans as '7-eleven workers.'”

Raw Story also reported Thanedar continued, “The fact that you married an Indian American shows that you're just a grifter pandering to a racist base,” and added, “How pathetic it must be to be that cheap.”

The Daily Beast

The Times of India said Gill is known for statements against Muslims and H-1B visa holders, and it described Thanedar’s reply as a reminder that Gill married an Indian-American, Danielle D'Souza Gill.

The Times of India further said Thanedar referenced Gill’s “7-Eleven workers” framing and that Gill had previously said it is idiotic that America is hiring 7-Eleven workers from India or from some other countries.

The Daily Beast reported that journalist Zaid Jilani wrote, “Let's check back in November 2026 how much people like your brand of white nationalist politics,” as the controversy played out online.

The Daily Beast said Gill circulated a petition among supporters last February to deport Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, arguing the U.S. “would be a much better place if she were to be sent back to Somalia.”

“Congressman Brandon Gill is known for his statements against Muslims and H-1B visa holders”

The Times of India

It added that Omar remains a U.S. citizen, as she has been for the past 26 years, after fleeing her homeland’s civil war as a child.

The Daily Beast also described Gill’s broader rhetoric, including telling Mehdi Hasan to “go back to the U.K.” if he wanted to “live in a Muslim country,” and claiming Muslims are arriving “en masse” to “fundamentally transform the landscape of American public life.”

Raw Story said critics also reacted to Gill’s post with comments such as Jonah Goldberg writing, “Really. One caveat: that doesn't mean it's okay to be racist,” and Polling USA responding, “I keep forgetting this guy is a legitimate member of Congress and not a satire account.”

The Daily Beast reported that it had contacted Gill’s office for comment on the story, while Zaid Jilani’s post framed the “real test” as the uphill battle for Republicans to retain control of the House and Senate at midterms.