This GOP Candidate's Barron Trump Impression Is Totally Backfiring

If there's one thing that could lose you supporters in the Republican party these days, it's not backing Donald Trump. That may also include coming after his children. Brandon Herrera, who has amassed a huge YouTube following with posts primarily about and in support of guns and the Second Amendment, is running for the House of Representatives seat for Texas's 23rd congressional district, which runs along the Mexico border and includes Uvalde, Texas.

Some think that footage of him joining in on making fun of Donald's youngest son, Barron Trump, on the "Unsubscribe" podcast — Herrera's a co-host along with three other YouTubers — could potentially end up tanking his attempts to oust incumbent Representative Tony Gonzales if Donald gets wind of it and doesn't find the jokes funny. Herrera gave a joke-y impression of Barron saying, "Daddy's coming, daddy's angry," via YouTube. The jokes on a whole seemed to center around Barron's height — Barron being taller than his dad is rumored to be a source of tension for Donald.

Someone close to Trump told the Daily Beast that if Herrera, "actually said these vile things, he has no place in the party." Reese Gorman, the Daily Beast reporter who wrote the article, posted about it on X, formerly known as Twitter. Herrera himself replied to Gorman's post on X, saying, "It's called having a sense of humor, makes you more fun at parties Reese."

Brandon Herrera's jokes about Barron Trump, who has largely kept out of the spotlight despite his father's political ambitions, don't seem to be a problem for his fans, who have flooded the comments on X for the Daily Beast column in support of Herrera. One person wrote: "So what you're saying is that Brandon won't be a Trump puppet, but instead a man who thinks for himself? I fail to see the downside here." Another summed up what a lot of people seemed to be thinking by posting, "So what? Jokes man, jokes." 

Others weren't quite as positive about the scandal though. One user wrote on X, "I wanted Herrera so badly, but he ain't winning now." Another was similarly disappointed, saying, "Brandon would make a terrific congressman and I still hope he beats Rino Gonzalez. But this is definitely a huge blunder." So, while Herrera's off-color remarks may not have isolated his YouTube audience, it may have put off potential voters.

Republican Representative Tony Gonzales got just over 45% of the votes in the primary race in March 2024 while Herrera got 24.7%, per The Texas Tribune. This means the two will face off in a primary runoff in May. Whether or not Herrera's past comments about Donald or Barron will have an impact on his chances of winning the seat, we'll have to wait and see.