GOP candidate defends Barron Trump mockery amid MAGA fury: 'Makes you more fun at parties'

Brandon Herrera — a YouTube content creator running in a Republican primary runoff in Texas — may have buried his chances to get elected after a clip surfaced of him mocking former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron.

The Daily Beast reported that both Trumpworld and the MAGA movement have soured on Herrera after viewing the clip, in which Herrera is heard making fun of Barron Trump.

The clip shows him on a podcast with three others, who at one point all spend a few minutes ridiculing the 17-year-old. Herrera said Barron Trump was "like nine feet tall" and imitated his voice, saying "daddy is coming, daddy is angry."

Others compared Barron to horror figure Slenderman, and called him a "long ventriloquist-like dummy." Herrera also opined that the former president was a weak general election candidate and predicted he would lose in November to President Joe Biden.

Someone the Beast described as "a Trumpworld source" said Herrera would be "a disaster for Republicans" if elected.

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"Not only did he mock President Trump’s teenage son, which is totally uncalled for and disgusting behavior, he said Trump cannot win the general," the source said. "This will not go unnoticed."

Herrera is running against Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) — whose district includes Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — from his right. He has repeatedly accused the congressman of being weak on the 2nd Amendment, citing his support for "red flag" laws that allow weapons to be taken from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. However, Herrera's comments questioning Trump's viability in the general election haven't done him any favors with Republican primary voters in Texas.

"If I had to predict, I think Trump will win the primary by a landslide and lose the general," Herrera said on another podcast. He added that while he "really enjoyed Trump's presidency," he nonetheless "messed up a lot of stuff," specifically about "guns and things."

"I’ve heard that Brandon Herrera has a problem with keeping his mouth shut and has a problem with saying stupid stuff, and this is just the tip of the iceberg," another GOP operative told the Beast. "Brandon Herrera is going to have a very bad time over the next couple months if what I’ve heard is true."

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On the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde massacre, Rep. Gonzales issued a statement naming all of the victims of the shooting, and boasted of his accomplishments in allocating more mental health resources to Texas' 23rd Congressional District. His statement notably did not include any calls for new restrictions on firearms, like the AR-15 style rifle the killer used to murder 19 students and two teachers.

Gonzales is on the record endorsing Trump, and has already secured the endorsements of several far-right, pro-Trump Republicans like Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. In the March 5 primary on Super Tuesday, Gonzales came in first place by a 45-25 margin, but fell short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff election. Both he and Herrera have advanced to the runoff, which will take place on May 28.

Herrera dismissed the Beast's reporting on his comments mocking Barron Trump, tweeting "it's called having a sense of humor," and told the reporter who authored the story that it would "makes you more fun at parties."