Texas Senator Ted Cruz is facing backlash after making a crude remark about Donald Trump and MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski during a segment on Hannity. While attempting to mock Scarborough and Brzezinski for their meeting with Trump, Cruz’s comment quickly backfired, drawing renewed criticism of his own history of “sucking up” to Trump.
The exchange began when Sean Hannity remarked, “Then you have Joe and Mika go to Mar-a-Lago and kiss the ring, and suck up to Donald Trump. You can’t make that story up.” Eager to pile on, Cruz escalated the rhetoric: “Well, I’m not even sure they were kissing the ring. I think they were kissing a little bit lower than that.”
The off-color remark ignited swift criticism online. One user quipped, “Hey Ted, Trump called your wife ugly and falsely accused your dad of assassinating JFK.” Another pointed out Cruz’s hypocrisy, saying, “Cruz should have knowledge on that subject.” Comments continued to flood in: “The hypocrisy. As always…” and “Well, this continues to age extremely well.”
Cruz’s history with Trump is well-documented. During the 2016 Republican primaries, Trump launched personal attacks on Cruz, calling his wife Heidi unattractive and suggesting Cruz’s father was involved in the JFK assassination. At the time, Cruz hit back, calling Trump a “pathological liar” and “sniveling coward.” He famously refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, urging voters instead to “vote your conscience.”
However, after Trump’s election victory, Cruz reversed course and became one of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress. Defending his pivot during a 2022 appearance on The View, Cruz explained, “At the end of the day, he won. And I had a decision to make…I could have decided, my feelings are hurt, I’m going to take the ball and go home and not do my job.”
Cruz’s remarks also reignited scrutiny over Scarborough and Brzezinski’s Mar-a-Lago meeting, which alienated much of their liberal audience. Brzezinski defended the visit, saying on air, “For those asking why we would go speak to the President-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, ‘Why wouldn’t we?’” Scarborough claimed the meeting was an attempt to open dialogue, though analysts like David Jolly criticized it as a betrayal of their values, according to The New Republic.
While Cruz sought to score points with his remarks, the backlash highlighted his own contradictions, reminding critics of his journey from Trump opponent to staunch supporter—a history that continues to shadow him.