Bo French vs. Hindu Texans: Inside the Backlash

A Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate looked at a photo of Indian American students celebrating a UT football win and said it proved "the problem" was "far worse than anyone imagined" — and Hindu American Foundation communications director Mat McDermott joins Garrett Fulce to explain exactly what that fight is about and why it matters far beyond one tweet. McDermott recently wrote about the controversy for the Houston Chronicle, and he and Garrett dig into the surge in anti-Hindu rhetoric, why Hindu voters are quietly drifting away from Democrats, and why McDermott thinks the far left — not the far right — may be the bigger long-term threat to his community. Then Garrett closes out with the wildest 48 hours in the Paxton-Talarico Senate race: a debunked mental-institution conspiracy theory, a fake-private-jet story that fell apart on a phone at a pumpkin patch, and a brand-new Wall Street Journal bombshell about Ken Paxton's New Year's Eve in Dubai.

This week on Seeing Red, Garrett sits down with Mat McDermott of the Hindu American Foundation to talk about what it's actually like to be a Hindu American in Texas right now, how that community has historically voted, and whether rhetoric like Bo French's has a shot at reshaping Texas politics. Then it's a full rundown of the chaos surrounding James Talarico's disappearance from the campaign trail and a fresh scandal hitting Ken Paxton just weeks before Election Day.

Topics discussed:
- Bo French's comments on Indian American UT football fans and Boy Scouts
- The history of anti-Catholic bigotry in America and parallels to anti-Hindu rhetoric today
- How Hindu Americans have historically voted — and why that may be shifting
- Fort Bend County's unique, closely-split multicultural political landscape
- Christian nationalism, Islamism, and finding natural political allies
- The Democratic Socialists of America and the "bigger threat: left or right" debate
- James Talarico's days-long disappearance from the campaign trail and the fallout
- A debunked conspiracy claiming Talarico was treated at a mental health facility
- New Wall Street Journal reporting on Ken Paxton's New Year's Eve trip to Dubai
- What Republican outside money pulling back in Texas could mean for the Senate race

Guest: Mat McDermott is senior communications director at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and host of HAF's "HAF Reacts" and "That's So Hindu" podcasts. Find HAF at hinduamerican.org or @HinduAmerican on social media.

Chapters:
0:00 Senate Chaos Teaser
1:12 Welcome Mat McDermott
2:33 Bo French's UT Comments
8:57 How Hindu Americans Vote
11:04 Fort Bend County Politics
14:32 Fighting Anti-Hindu Rhetoric
17:18 Left vs. Right: Bigger Threat?
29:35 HAF's Post-Election Priorities
33:30 Talarico's 8-Day Vanishing Act
44:05 Paxton's Dubai Bombshell

Sources:
- Houston Chronicle (Chron.com) — By Michael Shapiro — Sept. 14, 2026 — Cornyn slams Bo French for racist social media post on UT crowd — https://www.chron.com/news/article/bo-french-racism-texas-muslims-22429882.php
- The Texas Tribune — By Alex Nguyen — Sept. 13, 2026 — Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French's racist posts calling Asian students at UT a "problem" — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/13/bo-french-john-cornyn-republican-texas-railroad-commissioner-ut/
- The Texan — Fort Bend County Judge KP George Indicted Over Fake Racist Messages — https://thetexan.news/issues/criminal-justice/fort-bend-county-judge-kp-george-indicted-over-fake-racist-messages/article_75f821e0-7f6f-11ef-8fa7-07b00681d210.html
- Houston Chronicle — By Mike Ward — May 16, 2014 — Patrick: Briefly hospitalized for depression in 1980s — https://chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Patrick-Briefly-hospitalized-for-depression-in-5483462.php
- The Texas Tribune — By Kayla Guo and Alejandro Serrano — Oct. 9, 2026 — Talarico makes first public appearance since flu-induced absence — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/09/james-talarico-returns-to-campaign-trail-flu-austin-city-limits-senate/
- Breitbart — Oct. 8, 2026 — Paxton Campaign Asks Talarico for 'Proof of Life' After 12-Day Absence — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/08/ken-paxtons-campaign-demands-james-talarico-show-proof-life-12-day-absence/
- Townhall — By Scott McClallen — Oct. 10, 2026 — 'Must Be Nice': Paxton Rips Talarico's Two-Week Disappearance — https://townhall.com/news/scott-mcclallen/2026/10/10/must-be-nice-paxton-rips-talaricos-two-week-disappearance-n2684455
- Mediaite — Talarico Spox Rages After MAGA Influencers Promote Utterly Bizarre Conspiracy Theory That He Was Locked In a Mental Hospital — https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/talarico-spox-rages-after-maga-influencers-promote-utterly-bizarre-conspiracy-theory-that-he-was-locked-in-a-mental-hospital/
- Mediaite — Talarico Campaign Provides Time-Stamped Security Cam Images to NYT Showing He Was Home in Austin — https://www.mediaite.com/media/print/talarico-campaign-provides-time-stamped-security-cam-images-to-nyt-showing-he-was-home-in-austin/
- Yahoo News (reporting on a Wall Street Journal exclusive) — Oct. 12, 2026 — Ken Paxton Reportedly Partied in Dubai With Fugitives Wanted in U.S. — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ken-paxton-reportedly-partied-dubai-025552820.html
- The Texas Tribune — By Gabby Birenbaum — Sept. 11, 2026 — Senate GOP's super PAC starts spending big for Ken Paxton — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/11/senate-gop-leadership-ken-paxton-john-thune-texas-spending/

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