Texas House Democrat leader Gene Wu faces fierce backlash after a resurfaced clip shows him urging minorities to unite against a common “oppressor.”
The viral segment came from a Dec. 31, 2024 episode of the “Define American” podcast hosted by Antonio Vargas.
During the interview, Wu pointed to what he called racial anxiety among “White people” as a force shaping modern immigration politics. He argued that demographic change fuels resistance to immigrant progress.
“The scary thing for me is that what is driving this newest round of anti-immigrant sentiment is purely a sense of White nationalism,” Wu remarked.
The Democrat party is built on bigotry. https://t.co/cptXXLxosM
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 8, 2026
“That there is a sense of, ‘America really just belongs to White people,’ that this was that a lot of people believe that God gave America to White people to rule, and that any time that immigrants, minorities make progress in this country, that that is seen as a slight against them,” he went on.
Wu and Vargas discussed shifting demographics in Texas, agreeing that White residents are near minority status statewide. Wu noted they still hold a majority of voters.
The flashpoint came when Vargas asked about unity among Latino, Asian, and Black communities. Wu responded by calling for solidarity across racial lines.
“I think you’ve hit exactly the right point,” Wu stated. “It’s not just Latinos. It’s not just Asians. It’s not just African Americans. It’s everybody. Right?”
“We, our country and the forces that be, the powers that be, have spent tremendous time, effort and money to make sure that those groups are never united, that they always see each other as enemies, as competitors,” he continued.
“Without ever realizing that they share one thing in common, that their oppressors all are the same. The oppression comes from one place.”
Then came the most controversial remark of the episode, which was titled, “In this Texas District, 1/3 of Residents are Undocumented.”
“I always tell people the day the Latino, African-American, Asian and other communities realize that they are — that they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning, because we are the majority in this country now,” Wu said.
“We have the ability to take over this country and to do what is needed for everyone and to make things fair. But the problem is our communities are divided—they’re completely divided.”
The comments ignited a wave of criticism from Texas Republicans after the clip spread online.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blasted Wu in a post on X. “Gene Wu is a radical racist who hates millions of Texans just because they’re [W]hite. This is who the modern Democrat Party is,” Paxton tweeted.
Former Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi framed the remarks as extremist.
“This clip is being widely circulated for its advocacy for [W]hite genocide. People need to realize that this isn’t some random Democrat backbencher. This is the Texas House Democrat caucus LEADER,” he wrote.
Sen. Ted Cruz delivered a blunt rebuke. “The Democrat party is built on bigotry,” Cruz replied.
Rep. Chip Roy demanded consequences. “Unlike many Democrats, he admits his racism against [W]hite people and call to ‘take over this country.’ He should resign or the TX House should strip him of any power,” Roy wrote.
“Another reason to pass my PAUSE Act. Stop importing people who hate you.”
GOP state Rep. Brian Harrison accused Wu of going further. He suggested Wu was “arguably promoting genocide against whites.”
Arron Reitz, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, questioned Wu’s citizenship.
Wu was born in China and later became a U.S. citizen after immigrating to Texas.
“As AG, I want to see [Rep. Gene Wu] de-naturalized,” Reitz posted on X.
As AG, I want to see @GeneforTexas de-naturalized. On what basis? He likely concealed his anti-American sentiment throughout his citizenship app process—the details of which are conspicuously absent from the public record.
Wu is a subversive whose citizenship should be revoked. https://t.co/bo41u8ZhI6
— Aaron Reitz (@aaron_reitz) February 9, 2026
He followed with a second charge. “On what basis? He likely concealed his anti-American sentiment throughout his citizenship app process—the details of which are conspicuously absent from the public record,” Reitz wrote. “Wu is a subversive whose citizenship should be revoked.”
Wu later pushed back on the backlash and claimed critics distorted his meaning.
He told the Houston Chronicle that his reference to a “shared oppressor” targeted Republicans, not White Texans.
Reporter Evan Mintz noted that “nowhere in the clip does Wu talk about [W]hite people.” Mintz added that he contacted Wu for clarification.
“Just to clarify, I even called up Wu to ask who, exactly, he meant by ‘shared oppressor,'” Mintz wrote. “His answer: Republicans.”
Wu told Mintz that the GOP bore responsibility for divisions across communities.
“It is undeniable that Republicans have spent the past 50 years beating down communities,” Wu pivoted.
“It’s not just minority communities. It’s the poor, it’s religious minorities, it’s women, it’s veterans, it’s the disabled, it’s every community like that that’s oppressed.”
Mintz also observed that some Republicans challenged Wu for dividing Americans into racial blocs in the first place.
The controversy adds to years of friction between Wu and Texas Republicans.
Critics have questioned his loyalty in past disputes, including last summer when he and other House Democrats left the state to block a congressional map designed to boost GOP seats in the U.S. House.
Two lawsuits seeking to remove Wu from office for breaking quorum remain pending before the Texas Supreme Court.
Wu has continued to speak out despite the storm. After Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for state Senate District 9, Wu urged fellow Democrats to stay aggressive.
“What I’ve been telling people when they come ask me what the temperature is and what the numbers are, I say, you know what, I don’t know,” Wu told Inside Texas Politics.
“And even if I do, I’m not going to say because we all need to run like we’re 30 points down and our lives depend on it because it does.”
He closed with a broader message about his party’s priorities.
“If we strip away all the social issues, all those red meat things that they try to distract us with, if you strip all that away, at the end of the day, Democrats, we’re the ones fighting for working-class people, for making things not suck. And I think that’s a message that resonates everywhere and especially right now,” he argued.
