Ted Cruz To Obama: ‘Come Back And Insult Me To My Face’
Ted Cruz is calling President Barack Obama out over his chastising and partisan comments about Republicans and Syrian refugees while at the G20 Summit. The Texas Senator and GOP presidential contender grabbed a microphone, looked into a camera, and said, “Come back and insult me to my face.”
President Obama’s controversial comments claiming Republicans are merely afraid of “widows and orphans,” and not the ISIS terrorists who have vowed to infiltrate the wave of Syrian refugees who are being resettled around the globe. Obama has allowed more than 1,000 refugees to come to the United States. The president wants to permit 10,000 additional Syrians to resettle on American soil, despite concerns about the vetting process and national security voiced by 31 governors, 56 percent of Americans polled, and statements made by FBI officials.
Ted Cruz’s challenge to President Obama almost immediately inspired viral memes on social media.
@TedCruz said 2 Obama, “#INSULT ME 2 MY FACE!” In this corner, Ted Cruuuuuz! Cowering in his, Baaaarak Oooobama! pic.twitter.com/w39wH2U9Rb
— JCorb (@JDCorbinPM) November 19, 2015
“I would encourage you, Mr. President, if you want to insult me, come back and insult me to my face,” Ted Cruz said when referencing the comments made by Obama during his trip to the Philippines. “Let’s have a debate on Syrian refugees right now. We can do it anywhere you want. I’d prefer it in the United States and not overseas where you’re making the insults. It’s easy to toss a cheap insult when no one can respond.”
But #Obama said #ISIS is ‘contained’ https://t.co/vnTwS0dbaV #NHPolitics #FITN #tcot #pjnet pic.twitter.com/0D5FlPJhsE
— Kimberly Morin (@Conservativeind) November 16, 2015
President Obama did not call out Senator Cruz by name, but make a blanket assertion about all Republicans who have voiced concerns about protecting the lives of Americans from possible ISIS jihadists among the Syrian refugees, CNN notes.
“When I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which a person who is fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that’s shameful, that’s not American,” President Obama said during the G20 summit in Turkey.
After arriving in the Philippines on Wednesday, Obama made his now-viral “widows and orphans” comments, the New York Times notes.
“Apparently, they are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America. Now they are scared of 3-year-old orphans. That doesn’t seem so tough to me,” Obama added.
Ted Cruz addressed the president’s comments after meeting with a GOP lawmakers. The Texas Senator deemed Obama’s remarks an attack on him and other Americans who are legitimately worried that the Syrian refugees could pose a national security threat and include ISIS militants.
“It is utterly un-befitting of a President to be engaging in those kinds of personal insults, attacks,” Cruz added.
Rick Santorum, who is also running for president, said that President Obama “needs to get a grip on reality right.” Santorum referred to ISIS fighters as “savages” who crucify and behead Christians.
At least 30 state governors have officially announced that they refuse to accept Syrian refugees into their state. While many of the governors are Republicans, some Democrats have uttered similar decrees. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced that a bill demanding a “pause” in Obama’s refugees resettlement plan, had strong bipartisan support in Congress and will be voted upon very soon.
Republican governors in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Texas were among the first to issue statements announcing that Syrian refugees will not be allowed to resettle in their states, MSN reports.
[Photo by LM Otero/AP Photo]
