Raja Krishnamoorthi has criticised the US Department of Education over its “Make college football great again” post.
Krishnamoorthi said the Education Department appeared to be “playing dog whistles” to French’s tune, referring to the controversy that erupted after French posted a photograph of South Asian students cheering for the University of Texas Longhorns. “South Asian Americans are as American as anyone,” Krishnamoorthi said. The US Department of Education posted a graphic on September 19 showing a packed college football stadium with the words “MAKE COLLEGE FOOTBALL GREAT AGAIN” and “MAKE EDUCATION GREAT AGAIN”. The post drew criticism on social media, with some users connecting its “college football” message to the controversy surrounding French’s comments about South Asian students at the University of Texas. French later defended his remarks and argued that the University of Texas’ admissions practices disadvantaged Texans, according to the Texas Tribune.
Some questioned whether the department’s post could be seen as support for or an endorsement of French’s remarks. The department’s post itself did not mention French or the University of Texas. The controversy began after French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, shared a photograph of South Asian students celebrating the University of Texas’ football victory.
Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has criticised the US Department of Education over its “Make college football great again” post, saying it came days after Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French faced backlash for comments about South Asian students at the University of Texas.