Ted Cruz's most provocative quotes

Ted Cruz’s entry into the 2016 presidential race is sure to do at least one thing: add to the rhetorical drama.

The junior senator from Texas has a penchant for making incendiary statements that draw condemnation from Democrats, watchdogs such as PolitiFact, and plenty of his fellow Republicans. But while his firebrand approach may alienate some in the party establishment, it has endeared him to the conservative grassroots, who he hopes will power him to the GOP nomination.


Here are some of his greatest hits:

— On those who would give up the fight to defund Obamacare: “Look, we saw in Britain, Neville Chamberlain, who told the British people, ‘Accept the Nazis. Yes, they’ll dominate the continent of Europe, but that’s not our problem. Let’s appease them. Why? Because it can’t be done. We can’t possibly stand against them.’” ( September 2013)

— To a largely Arab Christian audience in Washington, as they booed him offstage for his vocal support of Israel: “I am saddened to see that some here, not everyone, but some here, are so consumed with hate… If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you.” ( September 2014)

— In an interview with The Daily Caller during his Senate run: “I think President Obama is the most radical president this nation’s ever seen … And in particular, I think he is a true believer in government control of the economy and of our everyday lives. In my judgment, we are facing what I consider to be the epic battle of our generation, quite literally the battle over whether we remain a free market nation.” ( June 2011)

— On his alma mater, Harvard Law School: “There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than communists. There was one Republican. But there were 12 who would say they were Marxists who believed in the communists overthrowing the United States government.” ( February 2013)

— On former Sen. Chuck Hagel, during hearings on his nomination to be secretary of defense: “We do not know, for example, if he received compensation for giving paid speeches at extreme or radical groups. … It is at a minimum relevant to know if that $200,000 that he deposited in his bank account came directly from Saudi Arabia, came directly from North Korea.” ( February 2013)

— And: “Hagel’s nomination has been publicly celebrated by the Iranian government — surely an occurrence without precedent for a nominee for secretary of defense.” (February 2013)

— On climate change: “You know, back in the ’70s — I remember the ’70s, we were told there was global cooling. And everyone was told global cooling was a really big problem. … The problem with climate change is there’s never been a day in the history of the world in which the climate is not changing.” ( February 2014)

— Speaking of incendiary: “The Obama economy is a disaster, Obamacare is a train wreck, and the Obama-Clinton foreign policy of leading from behind — the whole world is on fire,” Cruz recently told a crowd in Barrington, New Hampshire.

“The world is on fire?” asked a 3-year-old girl in the audience

“The world is on fire. Yes! Your world is on fire,” Cruz responded. “But you know what? Your mommy’s here and everyone’s here to make sure the world you grow up in is better.” ( March 2015)

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2016 Elections