Full Breakdown
Trump Endorsement Billboard Sparks Legal Dispute in South Texas
By Drooid · · How we work
Billboard Design Mirrors Campaign Materials
A digital billboard in Brownsville, Texas, displays Republican congressional candidate Eric Flores alongside a photograph of President Donald Trump and a claim of “support” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A cease-and-desist letter alleges the billboard was actually funded by the Northern Cameron County Democrats, not Gonzalez’s campaign.
Cease-and-Desist Letter Claims Voter Deception
Attorney Eric Wang, representing the Flores campaign, sent a cease-and-desist letter in October demanding removal of the billboard. Flores’s team confirmed the letter’s authenticity but said it does not dispute Trump’s endorsement or the ICE claim. The Gonzalez campaign reported that the billboard remains in place.
Political Reactions and Context
President Trump endorsed Flores in December via a Truth Social post stating a “complete and total endorsement.” Since the primary, Flores’s own signs have downplayed the Trump endorsement, focusing instead on his biography, according to a Texas Observer report. The district, redrawn after Trump carried a majority in the 2024 election, is now highly competitive, with immigration and border security central to voter concerns. Gonzalez’s campaign accused Flores of trying to distance himself from his prior positions, while BOLD PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, said Flores is “paying lawyers to hide it.”
Official Statements & Responses
Matt Brownfield, a Flores campaign spokesperson, called Gonzalez “a practiced scammer” and described the billboard as “deceptive on its face.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Vicente Gonzalez is a practiced scammer who has been running a con on South Texas voters for years. This billboard is just the most recent example,” — Matt Brownfield, a campaign spokesperson
- “Eric Flores bragged about Trump’s endorsement until South Texas saw what it cost them: higher prices and ICE in our neighborhoods,” — Valeria Ojeda-Avitia, a spokesperson for BOLD PAC