r/politics • u/Ok-Direction-4480 Florida • 1d ago
Ted Cruz Speaks Out Against Donald Trump's Tariffs: 'Tax on Consumers'
https://www.newsweek.com/ted-cruz-criticizes-donald-trump-tariffs-tax-consumers-20551901.6k
u/Cute-Ad2879 1d ago
Funny how these cretins didn't point this out while he was saying this shit during the election.
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u/veggeble South Carolina 1d ago
He still thinks Trump isn't serious about the tariffs. Really. The article says he hopes the tariffs are removed soon after every other country lowers the tariffs on the US. The problem is that Trump just made up fake numbers for the tariffs other countries have on the US, so it's impossible for them to lower tariffs that don't exist.
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u/Drolb 1d ago
Yeah the UK averages about 4% on US imports. Almost impossible to go lower really, but we’re stuck on 10%.
Of course what he really wants is for us to drop our requirement that chickens farmed for meat not be so dirty they need washing in chlorine before they can be in any way safe for human consumption so the US can dump its cheap shitty chicken into our market, which isn’t happening either.
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u/Archer1407 1d ago
but if the UK starts washing chickens in cholerine solutions, surely Trump will remove the tariffs. /s
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u/weedbearsandpie 1d ago
As a British citizen, I think we should just say ok to the chlorinated chicken, mark it as chlorinated chicken and then watch nobody ever actually buy it in the shops because it sounds bloody disgusting and then we can say we're fine with it but just there isn't a market for it, which there wont be, because it sounds like something I wouldn't feed my dog
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u/philman132 1d ago
It won't be sold in supermarkets, it will be sold in fast food outlets, cheap restaurants, etc that don't need to label the provenience of their chicken and generally go for the cheapest they can find.
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u/weedbearsandpie 1d ago
Mate, you have a fair point, we'd need signs in shop windows, probably best off just telling them to keep their soggy chicken
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u/paddy_yinzer 1d ago
I wouldn't trust the Brittish stores or government to label it. A ton of your ice cream has no dairy in it now. I would also expect a ton of restaurants, schools, hospitals, etc would switch to the cheaper alternative.
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u/axonxorz Canada 1d ago
Of course what he really wants is for us to drop our requirement that chickens farmed for meat not be so dirty they need washing in chlorine
They hate our beef because our beef is beautiful and theirs is weak.
- Entirely unserious individual Howard Lutnick
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u/QbertsRube 1d ago
You should just tell the dipshit you'll lower your 10% tariffs to 4%, announce the lowering of tariffs on US Sprockets and Whatsamathings, then send over financial reports showing proof of the "new" 4% tariff. I'm sure he's desperate for a win right about now.
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u/Drolb 1d ago
I don’t think anyone in the UK except Nigel Farage and his crew of arseholes wants to even think about giving your bumbling oaf of a president a win right now
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u/AlwaysTiredOk 1d ago
Wait what? Who adds chlorine to chicken?
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u/axonxorz Canada 1d ago
The US poultry industry is so unsanitary they just give the meat a little dippy dip in chlorine to kill off the bacteria.
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u/NewSauerKraus 1d ago edited 1d ago
Chlorine isn't added, some meat is just rinsed after butchering. It's a bit odd, but nothing to care about according to the European Food Safety Authority. The people pushing this propaganda to promote local meat say chlorine because it sounds scarier than bleach.
I'm not saying that imported meat is better or preferable. Just that this "chlorinated chicken" grift is stupid. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the meat, it's literally just a local vs import trade war.
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u/CommodoreAxis 1d ago
I think he has specific demands for a significant portion of the countries he tariffed. Another that has a specific source I found was Vanuatu, who enacted strict crypto laws (they’re a haven for stashing shady crypto) just days prior to the tariffs. I almost guarantee Trump or his gang tried to pressure them and they didn’t fold.
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u/kmurp1300 1d ago
The Texas economy is highly intertwined with Mexico, I think. I imagine, he is worried about the effects on Texas.
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u/Lady_bro_ac 1d ago
No he doesn’t give a shit about Texas, he only cares about himself
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u/fastlax16 1d ago
Texas doesn’t care about Texas. That’s why they descend into a state of emergency every time there’s an ice storm and their grid fails.
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u/Lady_bro_ac 1d ago
Texas is a purple state with some of the worst gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics being used against them
Many of the people there do care, but are fighting against a rigged system
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u/Renegade-Ginger 1d ago
The problem is that those numbers weren’t tariffs at all. The numbers were the trade deficits we have with those countries. Which makes the whole situation even dumber, because now those countries will buy less from us because they’ll impose retaliatory tariffs themselves.
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u/guyincognito121 1d ago
If Trump says it was 40% when it was actually 0, they just impose a 10% tariff, Trump claims victory, and his idiot voters believe him.
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u/ts_wrathchild 1d ago
You think that's funny, wait until after the midterms when they all go silent for a few months, then begin the "I never really supported Trump" campaign as the primaries are getting underway.
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u/Cute-Ad2879 1d ago
I look forward to it, honestly. The MAGA crowd will lose their minds. I want to watch the whole party devour itself.
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u/LordChunggis 1d ago
I've been waiting for this moment for the past 10 years. I want the GOP/MAGA fracture to be biblical.
The greedy vs the stupid.
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u/staticchange 1d ago
They didn't devour themselves last time. GOP will probably lose the midterms and in 2028 (if we still have a functioning democracy), but by the 2030 has rolled around voters will be ready to give power back to republicans again.
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u/FreeNumber49 1d ago edited 1d ago
> wait until after the midterms
It’s funny people think there’s still going to be midterms for a government that has been completely defunded and "retired" (see RAGE). In case people still don’t get it, Project 2025 is about getting rid of the US government and replacing it with corporate-run, privatized cities, where government power is devolved to the broligarchy. They have no use for elections. Like Russia, elections will still exist, but they will be for show only, and will serve only as a theatrical reenactment of what democracy was once like. This is in fact how religion works today.
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u/tpounds0 1d ago
States run elections, and control of the house is usually decided by swing districts in solidly blue states.
Please stop the doomerism unless you can explain in credible detail how Trump takes over California's voting system in 2026.
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u/LordChunggis 1d ago
A huge amount of damage has been done already, but if we can capitalize on MAGA/GOP infighting NOW we can claw our way back IF we dominate them in the midterms.
The country as a whole hasn't crossed the Rubicon yet.
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u/gusterfell 1d ago
I mean, clearly the congressional Republicans who are shitting themselves over the electoral ramifications of these tariffs think there’s going to be a midterm. If there is a plan to dismantle the election, a lot of prominent party insiders aren’t in on it.
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u/SarcasticCowbell New York 1d ago
Yes, the plan is to warp this country beyond recognition and take away free and fair elections, but they haven't succeeded in that plan yet. Republicans wouldn't be so worried about the midterms if the takeover was complete. The constant doom-posting is counterproductive and stinks of surrender before the fight is even over. These idiots broadcast exactly what they planned to do and how they planned to do it. They have essentially given us the guide to thwarting them. It's an uphill battle, but we're far from finished.
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u/Puzzled-Flatworm-223 1d ago
Because he was hoping to be appointed to the cabinet. He wouldn’t say this if he was. All these Republican leaders sold us out for their own personal power trips.
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u/Weekly_Rock_5440 1d ago
They always see him as a useful idiot with a rabid idiot fan base that they hope to inherit after he finally strokes out.
But now it’s a battle between their political future that relies on voter stupidity and their billionaire handlers who are yelling at them to stop this crap.
Hitler was a useful idiot until the day he had all his rivals in government murdered in their sleep in 1934. I suppose they’ve got that risk in their calculations too.
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u/TobioOkuma1 1d ago
They're just gonna drive prices up 70%, then remove the tariffs and take credit when the prices drop again. Their brainless fans will eat that shit up.
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u/GomezPrints 1d ago
Yeah real awesome how they’ve enabled him every fuckin step of the way. Fake outrage from people who realize it’s finally gonna hit their image.
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u/ClassOptimal7655 1d ago
He literally has the power to stop this, yet does nothing
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u/This-Gear-687 1d ago
He actually voted against Congress stopping them
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u/Simmery 1d ago
All of them. They want to hide behind Trump like they have no responsibility here.
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u/User-Name-8675309 1d ago
Congress is of equal rank to the executive. They don’t outrank each other. We need to start saying this everyday all the time to everyone.
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u/eladts 1d ago
Congress does outrank the executive with regards to taxes.
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-constitution-and-tariffs
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u/User-Name-8675309 1d ago
Just because it is their purview doesn't change what what I said. They don't outrank each other. Even if they have different responsibilities. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches are all co-equal branches of government. Those are the checks and balances, each body can limit the other, unless one party holds all three and acts in unison. Which was so unlikely when the nation was founded and over the years that it never occurred to anyone that this current situation would happen. You are correct though, absolutely, the holding of the purse strings is an immense power that congress holds.
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u/Immediate_Concert_46 1d ago
The executive is congress's and judiciary's BITCH in a functioning democracy
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u/OrangePowerade 1d ago
Because this is all performative. Republicans are known for this, acting like they're against something when they actually vote for it.
And if something passes that benefits the people, they take credit for it even when they vote against it.
Their base is too stupid to see this and keep voting for them because of the R
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u/tehvolcanic California 1d ago
Not during the election. NOW.
Every time someone says “I hate what Trump is doing” correct them. “You hate what all republicans are doing. Congress has the power to stop this. TODAY. Yet they do nothing. They want this to happen. Republicans want YOU (yes you reading this) to pay more taxes. They want you to have less money. They want you to lose your job. They want you to die”
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u/Joadzilla 1d ago
If this isn't coupled with the statement, "I will vote for any bill that will terminate Trump's sanctions and prevent him from adding more (without Congressional approval)."...
...then this is just words.
And if the journalist who got this quote from him can't be bothered to ask him to continue, giving him a chance to add this...
... well, that journalist shouldn't be a journalist at all. But just a court stenographer.
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u/BIGTIMEMEATBALLBOY 1d ago
Even if he says that, they are just still words. All words are still words until the actions are taken
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u/Joadzilla 1d ago
Right now, all we've got out of him is his opinion. There is no intent in a opinion statment.
If he coupled his opinion with a statement of intent, then we'd have an idea of what his intentions were, you know, because that's what statements of intent show.
JFC.
I can't believe I'm having to explain this concept to you. This is something kids learn early on.
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u/BIGTIMEMEATBALLBOY 1d ago
lol what evidence do you have to suggest that this man will act on his 'intent'?
he literally flew out of the country to a resort while his constituents faced a natural disaster. get off your high horse. there is no world in which this man will act on this statement (or any unless it serves him) unless his constituents drive their oversized truck and guns to his doorstep
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u/TintedApostle 1d ago
while he votes to cut taxes on the rich.
Stop giving these people air. Cruz is compromised.
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u/Count_Backwards 1d ago
Compromised implies he has something to compromise. Cruz has zero principles or integrity.
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u/MatrimCauthon95 1d ago
Is Raphael going to run away to Cancun like he’s prone to do during disasters?
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u/RomanCavalry 1d ago
Cool, Ted. How did you vote though.
None of these news stories about the GOP saying something matter if the actions don’t follow their words.
In other news today, the sky is blue.
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u/WhatRUHourly 1d ago
I do not like that man Ted Cruz.
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u/Subliminal_Kiddo Kentucky 1d ago
Thank you for acknowledging Ted Cruz is a man and not a legion of extra-dimensional horrors in an ill fitting skin suit plotting to take over the pathetic, backwater planet you have named “Earth”.
When the time of our victory comes, you will be set aside for manual labor and not processed for tendril lubricant.
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u/Hikari_No_Willpower 1d ago
They are starting to crack. After Musk failed to buy a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat on Tuesday, some of these republicans aren’t afraid of getting primaried by him anymore.
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u/greywar777 1d ago
They were surprised to discover that money can only go so far. They expected that kind of money to.matter more.
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u/DiceMadeOfCheese 1d ago
You didn't even defend your wife when Trump attacked her you sandal wearing buffoon
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u/gormthesoft 1d ago
“In an unexpected development, scientists has discovered certain types of invertebrates can mimic the effects of a spinal cord when they sense threats”
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u/Still-Marionberry870 1d ago
Hey, at least we don’t have a black woman with a funny laugh as president, am I right? /s
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u/Strange_Depth_5732 Canada 1d ago
He thinks he can pull his lips off Trump's dick and speak truthfully and no one will call him out. God I hate this creep.
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u/1SunflowerinRoses 1d ago edited 1d ago
Can we use his actual name -Rafael Edward Cruz as he thinks he can hide his Cuban, Hispanic, or Latino descent to the party that would deport him in an instant. When he is no longer useful to them
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u/NoDontDoThatCanada 1d ago
For a man that doesn't like gender affirming care he sure seems okay with ethnicity affirming care.
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u/Rude-Strawberry-6360 1d ago
Irrelevant. When given the opportunity, Ted will be one of the first to bend the knee.
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u/yotengodormir 1d ago
He must have said it while he came up for air after having his face firmly buried into Trump's ass.
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u/Specialist_Heron_986 1d ago
I'd say it's time to consider the 25th amendment, but there's a strong argument Vance would be even crazier and less qualified to run a country than Trump.
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u/Stinkstinkerton 1d ago
Opportunist fraud sack of total shit . People actually voted for this clown ?!
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u/InFairCondition 1d ago edited 1d ago
“I’m a talking head, with no real opinion or principles, that people still hate but allow some form of normal within the insanity we have at the moment. Ill say I don’t like a thing and still vote for it.” said Ted Cruz “I also appreciate Trump pointing out how ugly my wife is.”
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u/Twicebakedpotatoe 1d ago
Too late Raphael, you endorsed and allowed this to happen and we will remember
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u/absentmindedjwc 1d ago
When fucking Rand Paul and Ted Cruz is lock-step with democrats in commenting that the republican president's economic policy is fucking stupid... maybe people should fucking pay attention.
I've personally lost nearly 14% of my portfolio value since this orange fucking shitbag has taken office. I would appreciate it if these fucking bastards did their god damn jobs and started exercising some fucking checks and balances.
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u/firethorne 1d ago
Fuck you and all of the toadies in the Republican party. This is exactly what you voted for, empowered, promoted. You had every chance to exercise your checks and balances to stop it. You cheered it on.
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u/seriousbusines New York 1d ago edited 1d ago
Who? You mean Rafael Cruz? He doesn't approve the use of preferred names, should respect that!
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u/davetbison 1d ago
I’ve been saying that it would only take a few traditional conservative Republicans to swing everything. The percentage is actually really low.
The trigger will be when the benefits of speaking out against the administration outweigh the risks. The most opportunistic will use the moment to make themselves the hero.
The millionaire class doesn’t want to see the economy collapse. They are at risk of losing everything to the oligarchy just like the rest of us. It’s far easier for them to fall into poverty in a collapsed economy than for them to ever climb into the billionaire class.
As rich people see the market plummet, their portfolios shrink and their retirement shredded they will start making demands of the politicians they’ve propped up for years — politicians who are part of that same millionaire class with millions to lose.
If enough Republicans in Washington realize they can cash in on a newly crafted image of saviors of the republic, they will turn and turn hard.
It sucks that the enablers of our current disaster stand to look the best by doing the absolute least, but it may very well be the one thing standing between us and utter ruin as a country.
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u/joeyfartbox 1d ago
I think Ted Cruz seeing reason is one of the seven seals. We’re fucked, people.
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u/silverport 1d ago
You are complaining because your flights to Cancun are about to get expensive. Get bent Cruz..
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u/imadork1970 1d ago
Fled turtled after Jabba The Fat made fun of his wife. Flwd and Jabba can both get fucked.
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u/sick_shooter 1d ago
Lol, Donnie Dementia will insult/threaten him and then Bootlickin’ Ted will fall back in line.
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u/Whitewind617 1d ago
However, Cruz said that a "bad outcome for America" would be trading partners "jacking up" their own tariffs, resulting in "high tariffs everywhere."
So, the thing they are doing, because everyone is calling Trump's bluff. Why would they not do this?
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u/MartialBob 1d ago
So what? Is he going to introduce a bill designed to restrict the president's ability to enact Tariffs?
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u/Ok-Advertising-8359 1d ago
still will get on his knees and suck his dick though. Actions stronger than words with this POS and most of his actions are shit.
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u/undercoverhippie 1d ago
Wow, didn't expect to mark "Raphael Cruz show some semblance of a spine" on my bingo card this year. Nice try, Ted, but that Trump stink doesn't wash off that easily.
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u/LockNo2943 1d ago
Exactly. Tariffs were always a de facto regressive sales tax on consumers; no one higher up in the production chain is going to front the cost.
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u/malignantz 1d ago
First they came for my wife, but I said nothing, because I'm a sniveling coward who uses a fake name. Then, they came for my wealthy constituents money, so I pretended I had a spine.
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u/jawshoeaw 1d ago
Just got a memo from Hell, "it's starting to snow down here, what the hell (ha) is going on up there?!"
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u/sphericalpuma Missouri 1d ago
I do not like that man Ted Cruz,
I do not like his far-right views.
I do not like his stupid chin,
I do not like his smarmy grin.
I do not like him with a beard,
I do not like him freshly sheared.
I do not like Ted Cruz at all,
That man Ted Cruz can suck my balls.
- John Oliver
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u/StandardDiver2791 1d ago
I would appreciate this if it didn’t come from one of the most despicable senators in the history of the Senate. One who enabled the very asshat he now criticizes.
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u/bettsboy 1d ago
Cruz finally pulled his tongue out of Trump’s B-hole to disagree with him? I don’t care what he has to say. Ted Cruz is a liar and a crap politician.
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u/Llonkrednaxela 1d ago
Listen, I wanted to be given money, power, and freedom from prosecution on any crimes I’ve committed. Now that I have that, I am noticing that the issues all of this bs causes may also affect me. Can we make it not affect me?
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u/LarrySupertramp 1d ago
Just lip service so they can claim plausible deniability. They still 100% support everything Trump does. Fuck him.
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u/dmanjrxx 1d ago
When it comes to seeing Cruz speaking up against Trump and his tariffs, one must wonder if Cruz hates tariffs more than he loves his wife
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u/riggles1970 1d ago
So yesterday the headline was that he was “not a fan”. Today it is a “tax on consumers.” Ted Cruz, the man is destroying the economy. The Dow has lost almost 6000 points since February. I think you need to get a little madder about this.
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u/Perfect_Hall7735 1d ago
Human Ted Cruz is just worried about potential tariffs on his home planet.
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u/SystemOfANoodle 1d ago
They can speak out all they want to but it doesn’t matter if the actions don’t match the words they’re speaking
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u/Cold_Distribution424 1d ago
Finally Rafael, the illegal immigrant, made sense for once. He should still go back to his shithole country
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u/blockhose 1d ago
Jackwad Speaks Out Against Other Jackwad
🙄
Who the fuck cares what Rafael thinks?
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u/ttpharmd 1d ago
If you want to know how full of shit he is, just look at the 4 Republican Senators that voted to stop the Trump tax on Canada. He was definitely not one of the four. Go back to your podcast, dipshit.
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u/p001b0y 1d ago
What is odd about this is that Republicans generally support the Fair Tax, which replaces the Income Tax with a National Sales Tax that is initially 25%. If folks like Cruz are actually being sincere about this, maybe this will put the Fair Tax to rest finally. They have floated Fair Tax legislation almost every year for the last 20 years or so.
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u/J-the-Kidder 1d ago
Wait what, you mean they knew these things then stayed quiet and complicit with it? Wow. I would have never guessed these Republican folks wouldn't stand up for their citizens ..... Dashed with sarcasm
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u/Busy_Reading_5103 1d ago
This is from a guy who supported a guy who called his wife ugly. He is right about Tariffs but what a POS
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u/MugiwaraJinbe Texas 1d ago
This piss baby had a chance to vote them down and didn’t join the other republicans who “rebelled”. His words are meaningless.
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u/AnAngryBartender 1d ago
Yeah…people that weren’t Trump nut gobblers knew this from the beginning, champ. Thanks for catching up.
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u/kurdis_lumen 1d ago
Ted, we’ve been trying to explain this to you, Drumpf and the rest of magaworld for many months.
Your party has now destroyed trillions and undone 8 months of economic growth, and we’re on day 2. Welcome to hell, enjoy the ride. 📉
I hope texas spits you out like pork fucking bbq, along with the rest of the illiterati.
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u/AcanthisittaNo6653 New Hampshire 1d ago
We are 2 months in and Cruz is positioning for a presidential run in 2028. Its the only reason he would break ranks with the rest of them.
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u/TheHomersapien Colorado 1d ago
If Rafael Edward Cruz isn't careful he's going to find himself licking boots at another Trump phone fund raiser, taking family time away from his dog ugly wife.
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u/Mplus479 1d ago
China's a good friend of the US, so I'm sure they'll comply and help out the US by lowering their tariffs.
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u/SodaPop6548 1d ago
Ted Cruz can end this and chooses not to. He’s complicit and he’s pretending he isn’t.
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u/poolside123 Canada 1d ago
And I thought the lottery was a tax on the stupid. Trump thinks it’s tariffs.
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