‘Go Back To Third World’: Congressman Slams Zohran Mamdani For Eating With Hands

<p>In a controversy stirring national debate, Republican Congressman Brandon Gill has come under fire for a racially charged comment directed at Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and New York City mayoral candidate. The Texas lawmaker lashed out on social media after a resurfaced video showed Mamdani eating rice with his hands&mdash;an age-old tradition in many cultures around the world.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Civilized people in America don&rsquo;t eat like this,&rdquo; Gill posted on X (formerly Twitter). &ldquo;If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the third world.&rdquo;</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>Civilized people in America don&rsquo;t eat like this.<br /><br />If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World. <a href=”https://t.co/TYQkcr0nFE”>https://t.co/TYQkcr0nFE</a></p>
&mdash; Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) <a href=”https://twitter.com/RepBrandonGill/status/1939489434983883116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>The viral clip, originally recorded in 2023 during an interview with Uncivilized Media, features Mamdani eating with his hands while reflecting on his upbringing in Uganda and South Africa&mdash;and how it shaped his empathy toward the Palestinian struggle. In the interview, Mamdani noted, &ldquo;When you grow up as someone, especially in the Third World, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian struggle. It is one that is framed in terms of empathy and solidarity.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The act of eating with one&rsquo;s hands, commonplace across South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultures, became the unlikely flashpoint of a political firestorm.</p>
<p>Mamdani, born in Kampala, Uganda, to a Punjabi mother and a father of Indian descent, immigrated to the United States as a child. After spending his early years in South Africa, he moved to New York at age seven and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. If elected this November, he would be the first New York City mayor of Indian heritage.</p>
<p>His progressive platform, which includes calls to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)&mdash;an agency he has labeled &ldquo;fascist&rdquo;&mdash;has drawn fierce backlash from Republicans and Trump loyalists.</p>
<p>Former ICE director Tom Homan dismissed Mamdani&rsquo;s position with a curt &ldquo;Good luck with that,&rdquo; warning of stepped-up federal enforcement in sanctuary cities should Donald Trump return to the White House.</p>
<p>Other GOP figures didn&rsquo;t hold back either. Representative Andy Ogles labeled Mamdani &ldquo;an antisemitic, socialist, communist&rdquo; and suggested revoking his citizenship. Rep. Nancy Mace went a step further, launching a public poll on whether Mamdani should be deported.</p>
<p>On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump personally targeted Mamdani, calling him a &ldquo;100% Communist Lunatic&rdquo; and ridiculing both his appearance and political beliefs.</p>
<p>Stephen Miller, the former Trump advisor and a staunch anti-immigration figure, framed Mamdani&rsquo;s political rise as a cautionary tale. &ldquo;This is what happens when immigration goes unchecked,&rdquo; he warned, accusing Democrats of promoting a dangerous, far-left agenda.</p>