Ted Cruz calls French's post "idiotic" without calling it racist
U.S. Senator (R-TX)
“Look, it was an idiotic tweet that he sent. I wish he hadn't sent it. And I got to say, I am celebrating every student at UT, and I was proud to be there in Austin, and it was a hell of a win. Hook 'em horns.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports Cruz's first public comment on French's post, made outside a Senate Judiciary hearing; corroborated by Mediaite.
Before the quotation
Speaking to NBC's Frank Thorp V outside a Senate Judiciary hearing on September 15, 2026.
After the quotation
Cruz's comments were the first from him on French's post, distinct in tone from Cornyn's and Burrows's earlier, sharper criticism.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Cruz directly criticizes the post as "idiotic" and says he wishes French had not sent it — a real, if notably softer, criticism than Cornyn's or Burrows's. He stops short of calling it racist or demanding deletion/apology, unlike those statements, so this is flagged as a distinctly milder register worth editorial attention rather than a full-throated condemnation.
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- Bo French
Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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