Valentina Gomez, a far-right political figure known for her hostile rhetoric toward the LGBT community, was photographed near the east side of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Her appearance came one day before Presidentelect Donald Trump was scheduled to be inaugurated in a scaleddown ceremony inside the Capitol Rotunda because of a cold front moving through the area.
Gomez has announced her candidacy for Texass 31st Congressional District as a Republican. Her campaign immediately sparked outrage after a video she published online contained aggressive and inflammatory statements targeting Muslim communities. In the recording, she promoted the idea of removing Muslims from the state and made several dehumanizing and fearbased claims, positioning her campaign as a response to what she described as the growing Muslim population.
In the same video, Gomez framed her candidacy as a personal and moral choice for voters, claiming that Texas was in danger and linking immigration and religion to violent crime. She further accused existing Republican leaders of being weak and blamed them for demographic and cultural changes in the state. The video quickly spread online and drew widespread condemnation across political and social media circles.
Since declaring her intent to run for Congress, Gomez has repeatedly published extremist messages. At one point, a pinned post on her social media account included a video in which she forced her way to a podium during a public event and made extreme accusations about Islam.
In another disturbing video, Gomez appeared beside a mannequin bound to a chair. She then simulated executing it, later stating that this violent act represented her proposed solution to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. The footage intensified public concern over her increasingly radical messaging and the potential for realworld harm.
The original report on Gomezs video and statements was first published by Mediaite, where it was characterized as a shocking example of extremist campaign rhetoric.
