Texas Republican Who Went Viral for Racist Post Once Called for Obama to Be Publicly Executed: CNN

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A new CNN KFile report has unearthed six years worth of damning posts in which controversial Texas GOP candidate Bo French (R) repeatedly called for the public execution of Barack Obama and other political opponents.

“A CNN KFile review uncovered at least five removed social media posts from February 2025 in which French, using a previous username from his current account, invoked public executions, gallows or hanging. It’s unclear if the posts were deleted by French himself or removed because they violated Twitter’s prior rules against hate speech,” the report said.

“In May 2020, amid Republican backlash to the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, French publicly called for the death penalty for people he described as ‘Obama conspirators,’ invoked death as punishment for Obama himself, referring to the ‘former president,’ and others while he repeatedly used the hashtag #HangEmHigh,” the report said.

Other posts attributed to French read:

“The penalty for treason used to be death. Even for a former president. #HangEmHigh,” wrote French, replying to a post seemingly blaming Obama for the Russian investigation.

“It’s time we drop the hammer on these treasonous bastards and punish them with the full measure of justice. #HangEmHigh,” he wrote in response to a tweet asking if [Sen. Adam] Schiff had been arrested.

French, who’s running to lead the powerful Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, came to national prominence recently for a racist post about a crowd of non-white fans at a University of Texas football game.

“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” French posted on X earlier this month. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”

That post drew immediate condemnation from fellow Republicans Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and others, including Republican strategist Karl Rove, who said he’ll vote for a Democrat for the first time in 30 years instead of for French, whom he dubbed a “bigot.”

“French has dismissed his detractors as ‘less conservative’ and he did not respond to CNN’s inquiries,” CNN KFile reported. “The episode is the latest controversy involving French’s provocative rhetoric on immigration, race and religion. Earlier this year, he called for deporting 100 million people and suggested that Republicans embrace Islamophobia.”

When Senate candidate James Talarico (D-TX) challenged Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) to condemn French, Paxton wrote, “I condemn racism in all its forms.” Abbott has called French’s post “not my message.”

Regardless, Abbott and Paxton have maintained their endorsements of French.

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