As he does at many of his campaign stops, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used humor at a conservative rally in South Carolina to help make the pitch that he's the most consistent conservative in the Republican race for president.
At one point, he spoke about last week's terrorist shooting in his home state to supporters at the South Carolina Freedom Summit in Greenville, which drew 11 Republican candidates and hopefuls.
“We saw the ugly face of radical Islam in Garland, Texas,” Cruz said, referring to the incident in which two gunmen opened fire near the Curtis Culwell Center before being shot and killed by police. "Thankfully, one police officer helped those terrorists meet their virgins,"
At another point, recounting that his young daughters were recently talking to each other about what they want to do when they grow up, Cruz said one of the girls declared the conversation pointless because, "Daddy will be dead by then."
"I kind of wonder if Caroline had been speaking with Republican leadership," he cracked. "Maybe she knows something I don't know."
Cruz's wasn't just aiming for a laugh. The tea party favorite who helped engineer a partial government shutdown in 2013 used the story to trumpet his unapologetic approach to politics. He told activists that they should compare his style with that of his rivals, all of whom insist they are conservative.
He said: "Have you had anyone up here today say, 'I'm an establishment moderate who stands for nothing?' So how do you tell the difference? The scriptures tell us, 'You shall know them by their fruits."
He said that that means asking candidates, "You say you believe these principles. When have you fought for them?"
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.