Get to Know the Republican Aspiring to Follow in Jim Jordan's Footsteps
Rep. Brandon Gill and his mentor, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, have differing reactions to President Donald Trump's calls for the impeachment of judges he disagrees with.
TroibNews 
Rep. Brandon Gill, the youngest Republican in the House, has a role model he’s trying to emulate — and it’s not Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, or Abraham Lincoln.
It’s former champion wrestler, proto-MAGA stalwart, and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan that the 31-year-old Texan is looking to emulate. Gill is deliberately following the approach that made Jordan a well-known figure among conservatives, securing positions on Jordan’s committees—Judiciary and Oversight—and swiftly gaining a reputation for fierce partisan confrontations.
“I'd like to be as close to Jim Jordan as possible,” Gill said in a recent interview. “I'd love to sit in there and just watch him do his committee hearings and learn from him, and get his advice on things.”
Gill may have taken Jordan’s lessons to heart: his recent push to impeach a federal judge who attempted to block President Donald Trump's deportation plans has placed him at odds with Jordan, who, aligned with House GOP leaders, recommends a more cautious approach to dealing with the federal judiciary.
Essentially, Gill is stepping into the role that Jordan previously held—provoking party leaders to take bolder actions, regardless of potential political repercussions. His reasoning resonates with Jordan’s familiar “follow-the-voters” messaging.
“Not everybody is where I am” on judicial impeachments, Gill said. “I'd like to push us in that direction because I think that's what the American people want. Very, very clearly, that's what Republican voters want.”
Having garnered support from over 20 colleagues for his effort to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, Gill is committed to promoting what he describes as a more “muscular conservatism,” reflecting Jordan’s nearly two-decade advocacy for Republicans to fight more vigorously.
Conversely, Jordan is currently attempting to assist fellow Republican leaders in keeping hard-liners in check, suggesting judicial reform legislation as a safer alternative to impeaching judges.
The impeachment initiative has encountered resistance from traditional conservatives, who view it as a misguided distraction—despite Trump expressing support for utilizing Congress to oust judges he views as unfavorable.
“The likelihood that you’re going to impeach people for maladministration, as it’s called, is just low,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, a former Oversight chair whose bill regarding national injunctions is set for a House floor vote. “And even if you did, should we be second-guessing the decisions of the [judiciary]? The answer is no.”
There’s a notable irony in Jordan now adopting the role of an elder statesman advocating caution to younger colleagues. The 61-year-old gained prominence as a persistent critic of former Speaker John Boehner, who resigned under pressure from hardliners like Jordan, whom he labeled a “legislative terrorist.” Later, Jordan himself sought the speaker’s position but was unsuccessful after moderate colleagues blocked him during an internal GOP vote.
Gill stated that he doesn’t blame Jordan for advocating a more restrained viewpoint regarding judges and has refrained from pushing for a vote on his impeachment resolution in the House. “We're all on the same team here,” he remarked.
Jordan, in an interview, praised Gill as “a sharp young man” with a strong work ethic and suggested that Gill doesn’t need his advice.
Jordan remains a prominent figure among the MAGA right. As a co-founder and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, he frequently appears on conservative media, has Trump’s ear, and presides over a committee that addresses critical issues such as law enforcement, immigration, and gun rights.
Gill is aspiring to shape his image as someone who merges Jordan’s provocative past with his current establishment influence. Alongside his roles on Judiciary and Oversight, Gill also serves on a new Oversight subcommittee focused on Government Efficiency, which aligns with a government efficiency initiative led by Elon Musk, with whom Jordan has a longstanding relationship.
Gill’s connections to hard-right conservatism are even deeper. A former Wall Street investment banker, he married the daughter of conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza in 2017. He has since capitalized on a surge of far-right sentiment among young men, leading into a conservative media career and eventually Congress, where he claims to be driven by experiences growing up in an environment where young conservatives like himself “were belittled and insulted for being a white male constantly.”
Like his father-in-law—known for promoting discredited conspiracy theories about election fraud popular with the far right—Gill is pursuing online notoriety by embracing the outrageous. In a recent incident, he suggested that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, should be deported to Somalia for advising constituents on how to interact with immigration enforcement.
“Brandon Gill's claim to fame is peddling race-baiting conspiracy theories and pushing the big lie with the 2020 election to gain clout within the Republican Party,” Omar said in a statement. “He is nothing more than a xenophobic fame-chaser, nepo-baby that never had to work for anything in his life.”
Gill is accustomed to sparking controversy. He described being radicalized toward conservatism while at Dartmouth College, where his wife allegedly faced expulsion from her sorority after the 2016 election for her support of Trump.
“I've always been conservative, but the more you're around rabid leftists, that's what red-pills you,” Gill said.
He remembers meeting Jordan for the first time on the set of his father-in-law’s film “Police State,” a 2023 project claiming government weaponization of law enforcement. Jordan later campaigned for Gill during a competitive 11-person Congressional primary, insisting that Texas needed Gill to “protect conservative values from Washington elites.” Trump also endorsed Gill during that primary.
Gill has enthusiastically spoken about Jordan, referring to him as “the best of the best” among House Republicans regarding performances in hearings and media appearances. Following a recent Oversight hearing with PBS and NPR leaders, where Republicans threatened to cut the networks’ government funding, Gill texted Jordan to gain insights on his preparation for the hearings.
As members of the DOGE subcommittee, Gill and his Republican colleagues later wrote to House Speaker Johnson demanding that lawmakers defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that finances NPR and PBS.
On the topic of public media, Gill aligns with top GOP leaders, who have also expressed support for eliminating congressional funding for these networks. However, in matters concerning confrontations with an anti-Trump judge—potentially sparking a constitutional crisis—Gill claims he’s ready to challenge the status quo.
“All of this boils down to a basic question of, are we going to allow the Republic to survive or not?” Gill stated regarding his political ambitions. “And if it's going to survive, we’ve got to start being a lot more aggressive with how we play politics. The left plays to win. They play for keeps.”
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
It’s former champion wrestler, proto-MAGA stalwart, and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan that the 31-year-old Texan is looking to emulate. Gill is deliberately following the approach that made Jordan a well-known figure among conservatives, securing positions on Jordan’s committees—Judiciary and Oversight—and swiftly gaining a reputation for fierce partisan confrontations.
“I'd like to be as close to Jim Jordan as possible,” Gill said in a recent interview. “I'd love to sit in there and just watch him do his committee hearings and learn from him, and get his advice on things.”
Gill may have taken Jordan’s lessons to heart: his recent push to impeach a federal judge who attempted to block President Donald Trump's deportation plans has placed him at odds with Jordan, who, aligned with House GOP leaders, recommends a more cautious approach to dealing with the federal judiciary.
Essentially, Gill is stepping into the role that Jordan previously held—provoking party leaders to take bolder actions, regardless of potential political repercussions. His reasoning resonates with Jordan’s familiar “follow-the-voters” messaging.
“Not everybody is where I am” on judicial impeachments, Gill said. “I'd like to push us in that direction because I think that's what the American people want. Very, very clearly, that's what Republican voters want.”
Having garnered support from over 20 colleagues for his effort to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, Gill is committed to promoting what he describes as a more “muscular conservatism,” reflecting Jordan’s nearly two-decade advocacy for Republicans to fight more vigorously.
Conversely, Jordan is currently attempting to assist fellow Republican leaders in keeping hard-liners in check, suggesting judicial reform legislation as a safer alternative to impeaching judges.
The impeachment initiative has encountered resistance from traditional conservatives, who view it as a misguided distraction—despite Trump expressing support for utilizing Congress to oust judges he views as unfavorable.
“The likelihood that you’re going to impeach people for maladministration, as it’s called, is just low,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, a former Oversight chair whose bill regarding national injunctions is set for a House floor vote. “And even if you did, should we be second-guessing the decisions of the [judiciary]? The answer is no.”
There’s a notable irony in Jordan now adopting the role of an elder statesman advocating caution to younger colleagues. The 61-year-old gained prominence as a persistent critic of former Speaker John Boehner, who resigned under pressure from hardliners like Jordan, whom he labeled a “legislative terrorist.” Later, Jordan himself sought the speaker’s position but was unsuccessful after moderate colleagues blocked him during an internal GOP vote.
Gill stated that he doesn’t blame Jordan for advocating a more restrained viewpoint regarding judges and has refrained from pushing for a vote on his impeachment resolution in the House. “We're all on the same team here,” he remarked.
Jordan, in an interview, praised Gill as “a sharp young man” with a strong work ethic and suggested that Gill doesn’t need his advice.
Jordan remains a prominent figure among the MAGA right. As a co-founder and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, he frequently appears on conservative media, has Trump’s ear, and presides over a committee that addresses critical issues such as law enforcement, immigration, and gun rights.
Gill is aspiring to shape his image as someone who merges Jordan’s provocative past with his current establishment influence. Alongside his roles on Judiciary and Oversight, Gill also serves on a new Oversight subcommittee focused on Government Efficiency, which aligns with a government efficiency initiative led by Elon Musk, with whom Jordan has a longstanding relationship.
Gill’s connections to hard-right conservatism are even deeper. A former Wall Street investment banker, he married the daughter of conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza in 2017. He has since capitalized on a surge of far-right sentiment among young men, leading into a conservative media career and eventually Congress, where he claims to be driven by experiences growing up in an environment where young conservatives like himself “were belittled and insulted for being a white male constantly.”
Like his father-in-law—known for promoting discredited conspiracy theories about election fraud popular with the far right—Gill is pursuing online notoriety by embracing the outrageous. In a recent incident, he suggested that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, should be deported to Somalia for advising constituents on how to interact with immigration enforcement.
“Brandon Gill's claim to fame is peddling race-baiting conspiracy theories and pushing the big lie with the 2020 election to gain clout within the Republican Party,” Omar said in a statement. “He is nothing more than a xenophobic fame-chaser, nepo-baby that never had to work for anything in his life.”
Gill is accustomed to sparking controversy. He described being radicalized toward conservatism while at Dartmouth College, where his wife allegedly faced expulsion from her sorority after the 2016 election for her support of Trump.
“I've always been conservative, but the more you're around rabid leftists, that's what red-pills you,” Gill said.
He remembers meeting Jordan for the first time on the set of his father-in-law’s film “Police State,” a 2023 project claiming government weaponization of law enforcement. Jordan later campaigned for Gill during a competitive 11-person Congressional primary, insisting that Texas needed Gill to “protect conservative values from Washington elites.” Trump also endorsed Gill during that primary.
Gill has enthusiastically spoken about Jordan, referring to him as “the best of the best” among House Republicans regarding performances in hearings and media appearances. Following a recent Oversight hearing with PBS and NPR leaders, where Republicans threatened to cut the networks’ government funding, Gill texted Jordan to gain insights on his preparation for the hearings.
As members of the DOGE subcommittee, Gill and his Republican colleagues later wrote to House Speaker Johnson demanding that lawmakers defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that finances NPR and PBS.
On the topic of public media, Gill aligns with top GOP leaders, who have also expressed support for eliminating congressional funding for these networks. However, in matters concerning confrontations with an anti-Trump judge—potentially sparking a constitutional crisis—Gill claims he’s ready to challenge the status quo.
“All of this boils down to a basic question of, are we going to allow the Republic to survive or not?” Gill stated regarding his political ambitions. “And if it's going to survive, we’ve got to start being a lot more aggressive with how we play politics. The left plays to win. They play for keeps.”
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
