Tongue-Tied MAGA Rep. Stumbles Defending Trump’s Vile Video
The Texas congressman tripped over his words while trying to avoid weighing in on the racist post.
A Texas Republican struggled to string full sentences together after being asked whether the president “needs to apologize” for sharing a racist video of the Obamas.
Rep. Tony Gonzales stammered on Face the Nation Sunday as he attempted to answer moderator Margaret Brennan’s question on whether President Donald Trump should say sorry for posting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes on Truth Social.
“There’s... uhh... It’s up to the president. There’s no room in this country for racism, antisemitism, socialism. All the ‘isms’ need to go,” Gonzales, 45, told Brennan.

Tony Gonzales told Margaret Brennan that there's no room for 'isms' in the country.
CBS News
“And you think it was that?” Brennan, 45, asked, referring to Gonzales’s reference to racism. The video, posted late on Thursday night, was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account after 12 hours and intense backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Gonzales seemed uncomfortable once again, and ground out: “Uh, at the end absol—I mean I think it was very—uhhh, it was very upsetting to a lot of people."
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The congressman then attempted to pivot.
“What the—part of the—no one is talking about that video is about election integrity. And so the bulk of it was on election integrity, which is a very important topic,” Gonzales added, diverting attention to the 2020 voter fraud claims made in the vile video.
While Gonzales attempted to lay out plans to make “sure our midterm elections are safe and secure,” Brennan brought the discussion back to the racist element of the clip shared on Trump’s personal social media account.

The senator struggled as Margaret Brennan repeatedly asked about apologies and consequences.
CBS News
“I know the president claimed the video was credible, also claimed he had watched it but not seen that part of it with the racist—” she began, before Gonzales interrupted to exclaim: “It was at the very end! It was at the very end for one second. It was really weird!”
“The president of the United States and his staff, wouldn’t you expect that they actually look at what they do before they do it?” Brennan asked.
Gonzales reasoned: “The president of the United States should not be worrying about all the people that are upset with him.”

Gonzales said that Trump shouldn't worry about 'all the people that are upset with him.'
Truth Social
“If he’s doing that, he’s not keeping our country safe,” Gonzales continued. “I did appreciate them taking it down, I did appreciate him saying, ‘Hey, look, you know, that shouldn’t have been on there.’”
“Should the staff who allegedly did it be fired?” Brennan then asked, further questioning: “Should there be consequences for something like that? Do you think that video is actually credible?”
Gonzales refused to give an opinion on the matter, opting to bat the question away. He instead attempted to divert the conversation to a Democrat cursing about Trump in response to the post.
“The president can make that decision. Look, we just had Hakeem Jeffries get up there and say the F-word to the president. I mean, the direction our politics is going is not the right way,” he said.

The president has received intense backlash from within his party but has thus far refused to apologise for the video, which was taken down on Friday.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Gonzales fought to stay firmly on the fence during Brennan’s questioning, but other Republicans have been more vocal in their disdain for the video.
While MAGA mouthpiece Karoline Leavitt complained of “fake outrage,” Black Republican Senator Tim Scott described the post as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” New York GOP rep Mike Lawler similarly said that it was “wrong and incredibly offensive,” and stated that there should be an “apology offered.”
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog


ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT