Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Ted Cruz

Public opinion and media debates around Ted Cruz—discover key moments of controversy.

Ted Cruz, born Rafael Edward Cruz, is an American politician and attorney currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas, a position he has held since 2013. As a prominent member of the Republican Party, Cruz previously served as the Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 to 2008. Since 2025, Cruz has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee, playing a key role in shaping legislation related to commerce and trade. He is a well-known figure in American politics and has been involved in numerous debates and policy discussions.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Controversies & Scandals

2001: Comparison of Vandalism to Destruction of Buddhas of Bamiyan

In 2022, Ted Cruz compared the vandalism and destruction of monuments and memorials in the United States to the 2001 destruction of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban.

2003: Texas Attorney General's Office Declined to Defend Sodomy Law

In 2003, while Ted Cruz was Texas Solicitor General, the Texas Attorney General's office declined to defend Texas's sodomy law in Lawrence v. Texas.

2005: Trump Audio Recording Release

In October 2005, after the audio recording of Donald Trump was released, Ted Cruz reaffirmed his support, calling Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton "manifestly unfit to be president".

2008: Medellín v. Texas case

In 2008, as counsel for the State of Texas, Ted Cruz participated in Medellín v. Texas, where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas could ignore an International Court of Justice order to review convictions of Mexican nationals on death row.

2012: Ethics Violation Report

In 2012, Time magazine reported that Ted Cruz may have violated ethics rules by failing to disclose his financial relationship with Caribbean Equity Partners Investment Holdings during his campaign. Cruz stated the failure was inadvertent.

March 2013: McCain's Criticism

In March 2013, John McCain called Ted Cruz and others "wacko birds" whose beliefs are not reflective of most Republicans.

2013: Shutdown Denial

Despite his involvement, Ted Cruz consistently denied any involvement in the 2013 government shutdown, even though he voted to prolong it and was blamed by many for prompting it.

2013: Government Shutdown Role

In 2013, Ted Cruz played a leading role in the United States federal government shutdown by giving a 21-hour Senate speech to defund the Affordable Care Act. He persuaded the House of Representatives to include an ACA defunding provision in the bill.

2013: Federal Government Shutdown Involvement

In 2013, Ted Cruz played a significant role in the federal government shutdown, attempting to defund the Affordable Care Act.

2013: Statement on Same-Sex Marriage

In 2013, Ted Cruz stated he wanted marriage to be legally defined as only "between one man and one woman", but also that the legality of same-sex marriage should be left to each state to decide.

2013: Vote against federal aid for Hurricane Sandy recovery

In 2013, Ted Cruz voted against a bill providing federal aid to the Northern East Coast for recovery from Hurricane Sandy, citing unrelated spending within the bill.

November 2014: Senate Speech Controversy

In a November 2014 Senate speech, Ted Cruz accused President Obama of wanting to "destroy the Constitution" and likened him to Catiline, a Roman senator, drawing criticism for the dangerous rhetoric.

2014: Hard-Line Stance on Immigration Issues

In 2014, Ted Cruz took a "hard-line stance" on immigration issues during the border crisis and opposed comprehensive immigration reform.

March 2015: Cruz Rejects Climate Change Consensus

In March 2015, Ted Cruz rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, stating that some people are "global warming alarmists" and claiming, contrary to NASA's analysis, that there had been no significant warming in 18 years.

July 2015: Clash with Mitch McConnell

In July 2015, Ted Cruz accused Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of lying about his intentions to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States, leading to condemnation from Republican senators.

August 2015: Cruz Criticizes Obama Administration's Stance on Law Enforcement

In August 2015, following the death of a Texas police officer, Ted Cruz criticized the Obama administration for allegedly vilifying law enforcement and endangering public safety through their responses to events in Ferguson and Baltimore.

2015: Iran Nuclear Agreement Criticism

In 2015, Ted Cruz criticized the international nuclear agreement with Iran, stating it would make the Obama administration the world's leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism, leading to criticism from Obama and Mitt Romney.

2015: Response to Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage

In 2015, after the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Ted Cruz called the decision "the very definition of tyranny" and accused the court of judicial activism.

January 2016: Undisclosed Loans

In January 2016, The New York Times reported that Ted Cruz and his wife failed to report nearly $1 million in low-interest loans from Goldman Sachs and Citibank on Federal Election Commission disclosure statements. The loans were later repaid with campaign fundraising.

March 2016: Argument Against Considering Obama's Supreme Court Nominee

In March 2016, Ted Cruz argued that the Senate should not consider Obama's Supreme Court nominee, suggesting the decision should be made after the upcoming presidential election.

May 3, 2016: Cruz on Trump

On May 3, 2016, after several contentious personal exchanges, Ted Cruz spoke about Trump.

June 2016: Orlando Nightclub Shooting Blame

In June 2016, Ted Cruz blamed the Obama administration for the Orlando nightclub shooting, arguing they failed to properly track the perpetrator, Omar Mateen, while he was on the terrorist watch-list.

2016: Hard-Right Immigration Stances During Presidential Campaign

According to McClatchy, in 2016 during his presidential campaign, Ted Cruz staked out "hard-right immigration stances".

2016: Denunciation of Outsourcing American Jobs

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Ted Cruz strongly denounced outsourcing American jobs to other countries, blaming politicians and President Obama for allowing it.

2016: Presidential Campaign Criticism

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Ted Cruz was a vocal critic of Donald Trump, with both exchanging heated comments directed at each other and Cruz's family.

2016: Chad Sweet denounced Cruz for assault on democracy

In 2016, Chad Sweet, the chair of Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign, denounced Cruz for "assault on our democracy".

December 2017: Mocking of Net Neutrality Supporters

In December 2017, Ted Cruz mocked supporters of net neutrality as "snowflakes" after the Republican-controlled FCC repealed net neutrality regulations.

2017: Endorsement of Roy Moore

In 2017, Ted Cruz endorsed Roy Moore for U.S. Senate the same day that an audio clip resurfaced of Moore calling Obergefell "worse" than the 1857 ruling that upheld slavery.

February 2018: Opposition to Motion on DREAMers Legislation

In February 2018, Ted Cruz was the sole senator to oppose a Republican motion to begin debate on legislation intended to resolve the issue of DREAMers.

September 2020: Support for immediate vote on Trump's Supreme Court Nominee

In September 2020, less than two months before the next presidential election, Cruz supported an immediate vote on Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.

December 2020: Blocking of Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act

In December 2020, Ted Cruz blocked the Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act, citing concerns about spying by China and accusing Democrats of trying to change immigration laws.

2020: Claims about the 2020 presidential election

In 2020, Cruz was accused of misleading people for political gain with inaccurate statements about fraud in the election.

2020: Cruz Backs Failed Appeal to Overturn 2020 Election

In 2020, Ted Cruz backed a failed appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania and later led an effort to refuse to count Pennsylvania's Electoral College votes, citing baseless allegations of fraud.

2020: Cruz Supports Lawsuit to Nullify Election Results

In 2020, as part of attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Ted Cruz supported a lawsuit seeking to nullify election results in four states and garnered support for a plan to delay the January 6 electoral vote certification.

2020: 2020 Presidential Election

In 2020, the presidential election occurred that Cruz later objected to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in 2021.

January 6, 2021: Cruz on Arizona's electoral votes

On January 6, 2021, during the debate about whether Congress should accept Arizona's electoral votes, Cruz stated that 39% of Americans believed the 2020 presidential election was rigged, while claiming he wasn't arguing to overturn the election results.

February 2021: Cruz travels to Cancún during Texas winter storm

In February 2021, during a historic winter storm that left millions of Texas residents without power and water, Ted Cruz traveled with his family to Cancún, Mexico, to stay at the Ritz Carlton hotel.

May 2021: False Assertions About For The People Act

During a May 2021 Senate Rules Committee hearing, Ted Cruz falsely claimed that House Democrats designed the For The People Act to encourage illegal voting, despite the bill stating only U.S. citizens could register.

May 28, 2021: Cruz Votes Against Riot Investigation Commission

On May 28, 2021, Ted Cruz voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the January 6th riot at the Capitol.

October 2021: Criticism of Australia's Vaccine Mandates

In October 2021, Ted Cruz criticized Australia's Northern Territory's vaccine mandates in a tweet, which prompted a viral response from Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

2021: Objected to Certification of 2020 Election

In 2021, Ted Cruz objected to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

May 2022: Cruz's Response to Robb Elementary School Shooting

In May 2022, after the Robb Elementary School shooting, Ted Cruz attributed mass shootings to various societal factors, including declining church attendance and violent video games. Cruz voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

2022: Pronoun Joke at Turning Point USA Summit

In 2022, Ted Cruz reaffirmed his position on Obergefell after comments by Justice Clarence Thomas and joked at a Turning Point USA summit that his favored personal pronoun is "kiss my ass".

September 2024: Tweeting Racist Image Macro

In September 2024, Ted Cruz tweeted an image macro perpetuating a false claim by Donald Trump about Haitian immigrants, drawing condemnation and raising questions about his concern for American pets.

June 2025: Cruz on Iran-Israel War

In June 2025, during the Iran–Israel war, Ted Cruz advocated for regime change in Iran during a Fox News interview and discussed supporting Israel's attacks on Iran, while also clashing with Tucker Carlson over his knowledge of Iran and stance on Israel.

July 2025: Cruz Vacationing in Greece During Central Texas Floods

In July 2025, during the Central Texas floods, Ted Cruz was on vacation in Greece. He visited the Parthenon in Athens the day after a flash flood along the Guadalupe River in central Texas killed more than 100 people. Cruz's office said he returned to Texas "as fast as humanly possible" after the flooding began.

October 2025: Objection to the Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act

In October 2025, Ted Cruz was the only senator who objected to the Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act, which aimed to extend data protections to all Americans.