During an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, Republican Senator Ted Cruz launched into a rant about several progressive Democrats, claiming that they want to “cancel” Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaking about the boost progressive Democrats received after Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary, Cruz claimed that Democrats are “crazy enough” to cancel Thanksgiving and Christmas.
El-Sayed, a physician who campaigned on expanding healthcare access, strengthening the economy, and ending unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, became the first progressive to win a statewide primary in a state carried by President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. He is set to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November.
Speaking with Fox News personality Jesse Watters, Cruz compared El-Sayed to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
When Watters asked whether canceling Thanksgiving was “where the energy is,” Cruz said:
“Yes, they’re crazy enough, yes, they want to cancel Thanksgiving, they want to cancel Christmas. Look, these communists hate America. They hate capitalism. El-Sayed is also an Islamist, as is Mamdani.”
He continued:
“You see the green-red convergence, where the communists and the Islamists, they want sharia law, they hate Jews, they hate Christians, they hate capitalism, they hate America.”
The article states that Cruz was swiftly criticized for his remarks.
It also points out that Mamdani and El-Sayed have not called for canceling Thanksgiving or Christmas, nor are they communists.
A Reuters analysis cited in the article found that Trump’s political team has been testing whether anti-communist messaging can appeal beyond Trump’s core supporters ahead of the November midterm elections. The analysis said Trump’s rhetoric intensified after several progressive Democratic candidates won primary elections in New York on June 23.
The article also notes that Cruz had recently referred to Mamdani as “Comrade Mamdani” and compared him to leaders of communist regimes. Cruz was criticized for those remarks, particularly given his support for Trump. The article points out that Trump is a billionaire and that his personal fortune has grown by more than $2 billion since he returned to the White House.
