Texas GOP candidate Brandon Herrera joked about killing the elderly on a podcast. Now he says it was just a movie reference

Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera is standing by his criticism of Social Security while responding to renewed attention on comments he made about elderly people during a December 2024 podcast appearance. Herrera is the Republican nominee for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, according to the report.

Herrera has been endorsed by both House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump. He responded to a post highlighting the earlier remarks by saying they referred to the 2019 film Midsommar, not a genuine suggestion about harming elderly people.

According to MeidasTouch News, Herrera also used the response to reiterate his position on Social Security, calling the program “a joke” that needs to be replaced.

Herrera’s Social Security comments appear to conflict with his campaign platform

Herrera wrote in his response, “We’re talking about the movie Midsommar. I didn’t realize the studio A24 wanted to kill the elderly lol.” He added, “And yes, social security is a joke. It’s something that absolutely needs to be replaced with something solvent.”

Those comments appear to differ from statements listed on his campaign website, which reportedly says he “will oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits that seniors rely on.” The site also reportedly states that Herrera supports expanding investment options for younger workers so that the programs “remain strong for future generations.” 

Social Security has also come up elsewhere in Republican politics recently, including when Trump spent part of a Florida speech discussing the program.

The original remarks were made during Herrera’s December 2024 appearance on the Unsubscribe Podcast. During that episode, a co-host proposed, “Let’s abolish social security,” to which Herrera responded, “I’m game.” He also described Social Security as a “literal Ponzi scheme” during the same appearance.

Later in the episode, Herrera suggested that voting rights should be abolished, according to the report. When a co-host mentioned “old people” during the conversation, Herrera reportedly responded, “Yes, we should abolish old people,” which led to an extended exchange in which the hosts joked about killing elderly people.

That exchange included references to mallets and to the 2019 horror film Midsommar, which contains a scene depicting an elderly character’s death by mallet. Herrera also joked during the podcast about attaching a rubber chicken squeak toy to the end of a mallet so that it would make a noise after being used on the skulls of elderly people.

Rather than distancing himself from the remarks after they resurfaced, Herrera defended the exchange as a reference to the film. He reiterated that Social Security “absolutely needs to be replaced with something solvent.” Other Republican lawmakers have also faced questions about Social Security in recent months, including a Virginia congressman who appeared to dodge a reporter’s question on the topic.