URGENT UPDATE: Texas Senator Ted Cruz has escalated his ongoing feud with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, bizarrely comparing him to Zohran Mamdani, the recently elected democratic socialist Mayor of New York. Cruz’s comments came during an interview on the Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith podcast on November 9, 2023, just one day before Mamdani’s expected meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
During the podcast, Cruz reacted to Smith’s expressed discomfort over Carlson’s controversial interview with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, which has sparked significant backlash within conservative circles. Cruz claimed that antisemitism has “all but taken over” the Democratic Party before pivoting to criticize Carlson. He asserted that Carlson is “going down a very dark path,” equating him to Mamdani, whom Cruz described as both an “Islamist” and a “socialist.”
“One of the things when you go down the road of antisemitism, it very quickly leads you to anti-capitalism and anti-Americanism,” Cruz stated. “And Mamdani is a good example of that, where he’s an Islamist, but he’s also a socialist. And you look at Tucker… Tucker’s going down that road too, in a way that I think is very dangerous.”
This intense exchange highlights the rift within the Republican Party, particularly as Mamdani prepares for his first meeting with Trump since his electoral victory. Cruz’s remarks come amid a growing outcry over Carlson’s alignment with extremist views, further complicating his standing in conservative media.
Cruz, who has long positioned himself as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican, has not held back in his criticism of both Carlson and his GOP colleagues for their silence on the issue. “My colleagues, almost to a person, think what is happening is horrible, but a great many of them are frightened because he has one hell of a big megaphone,” Cruz expressed at a recent Federalist Society convention.
At the Republican Jewish Coalition summit earlier this month, Cruz remarked that Carlson is spreading “a poison that is profoundly dangerous,” emphasizing the need for stronger condemnation of such rhetoric. As tensions rise, Carlson has dismissed his critics, telling them to “buzz off.” This ongoing saga underscores the deepening divisions within the right-wing media landscape and raises questions about the future of the MAGA movement.
As the political landscape evolves, all eyes will be on Mamdani’s meeting with Trump and the potential fallout from Cruz’s incendiary remarks. Will this feud escalate further? Stay tuned for more updates as the story develops.
