Texan Brandon Gill Steals Show with Mickey
Mouse Racist Inquiry and Latina Power Slam
Capitol Inside
July 22, 2026
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill - a rookie Republican lawmaker who fancies himself as a future Texas governor - can expect his name recognition to soar after grilling a top Smithsonian Institution official on Tuesday on whether the beloved Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse is racist.
But after stealing the spotlight at a House hearing with the interrogation of the National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig on Mickey's possible conception in racism, Gill may have done his political ambitions more harm than good by attacking products that promote Hispanic women.
Gill and other Republicans on the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency portrayed the NMAH during the meeting as a glaring symptom of attempts by radical leftists to hijack the narrative for American history. The panel's GOP members used the hearing in Washington D.C. as a stage to parrot accusations that were contained in a report the White House issued on July 4th with the same complaints.
Hartig - for the record - denied that Mickey Mouse is racist. But she acknowledged that historians have chronicled the Disney cartoon figure's roots in minstrel traditions - which are noted in a display at the Smithsonian's American history museum that piqued the wrath of Gill and his fellow Republicans on the panel.
Gill wasn't done with the point he'd sought to make with the repeated inquiries on the origins of the most famous Disney character by far. The freshman congressional member who's widely viewed as the Texas Republicans' number one rising star took aim at merchandise that's sold at the museum's store with the slogan Latina Power on it.
Gill asked Hartig repeatedly if she believed it to be appropriate for the Smithsonian to be selling products that said Latina Power on them. "I asked the Smithsonian’s Director of American History Museum five times if it’s appropriate to sell ‘Latina Power’ merchandise," Gill said in a post on X after the hearing. "Five times, she wouldn’t answer yes or no."
But the 32-year-old who's the youngest Republican in Congress appeared to put his lack of experience in the bright lights of big-league politics on display when he implied in the questioning that he did not think the Smithsonian history museum should be selling Latina Power "paraphernalia" on its grounds.
For someone who aspires to follow Governor Greg Abbott's footsteps to the pinnacle of the Texas political universe, Gill may find it harder to win the job as a consequence of the dogged inquiries of the NMAH boss at the hearing that critics will characterize in future campaigns as an attack on powerful Hispanic women.
Latina Power products, which have been sold at the Smithsonian for years, is a line of clothes and accessories that was created by Brownsville resident Jen Zeano and her wife Vero. The Latina-owned company's merchandise is designed to celebrate the culture of the Hispanic community in South Texas and beyond.
"We’ve always believed our products should speak for themselves," the couple said on their Instagram page shopjzd in response to the congressional hearing. "Seeing our work represented at the Smithsonian is something we’re incredibly proud of, and it’s a reminder of the impact our community has in our country. That said, we don’t understand how a pink hat could spark this much controversy. Whether people love it, question it, or debate it, we are proud that so many people see themselves in our products. Every piece is created with orgullo and meant to be worn proudly."
Gill ran the risk of killing his ability to win Hispanic votes in a potential bid for higher office with the line of questioning aimed at the successful Latina-owned business in the Rio Grande Valley. Gill's stock could fall with women voters in general after interrupting Hartig multiple times when she did not answer questions the way he expected.
"Do you think that it's appropriate for the Smithsonian Institution to sell Latino power paraphernalia, hats, mugs, other things that say Latina Power?" Gill asked the NMAH director.
"I believe that the merchandise our store sells tries to reflect ...." Hartig responded before Gill cut her off.
"I'm asking you if it's appropriate?" Gill said.
"I believe that the merchandise our store sells tries to reflect the richness of the communities," Hartig answered.
"So your testimony is that it is appropriate?" Gill asked her.
"Those are your words, sir," Hartig said.
"I'm asking you if it's appropriate," Gill said. "That's a yes or no question."
"I don't have control over what is sold in our stores ..." Hartig replied before the Texas congressman interrupted her again.
"I didn't ask you if you had control over it," Gill snapped back. " Yes or no."
"Again we strive to represent all Americans," Hartig said.
Hartig disputed claims that history museum displays were designed with intent to make political statements. She said NMAH seeks to show how the United States has evolved without attempts to reframe or to rewrite the nation's history.
While the hearing by the subcommittee that's named after the Elon Musk DOGE review unfolded in the nation's capital, a new The Economist/YouGov poll that was released on Tuesday found that 45 percent of the voters think President Donald Trump is racist. Only 23 percent disagreed with that assessment.
The survey's most surprising finding may have come when only 55 percent of the voters who supported Trump in 2024 said they did not think he's a racist while 40 percent of those who voted for him had no opinion either way.
The same poll asked voters whether they felt that it was appropriate for the Black acress Lupita N'yongo to play Helen of Troy in the new Christopher Nolan movie The Odyssey. Fifty percent of MAGA Republicans said it inappropriate to cast N'yongo as the character from Greek mythology who's typically depicted as a white woman. Forty-seven percent of all Republicans in the Economist/YouGov poll agreed that it was wrong to cast N'yongo in the role.
more to come ... | 
