All posts tagged "ted cruz"

'Texas ranks near last!' Sparks fly as Ted Cruz hammered by Dem lawmaker in fiery debate

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) fired off at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) late Saturday night in a heated social-media exchange over taxing billionaires, reminding Cruz of how regressive tax policies in his own state have negatively impacted his own constituents.

The spat was sparked after Khanna publicly championed a proposed ballot measure in California that would, if approved by voters next year, impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of Californians worth more than $1 billion, payable over five years. The proposal has already sparked fear among billionaires, including pro-Trump billionaire Peter Thiel, who is reportedly considering cutting ties with the Golden State were it to be adopted.

Late Saturday, Cruz encouraged Khanna to raise the proposed tax from 5% to 50% under the guise that it would drive more billionaires to flee California and potentially move to Texas.

“Please continue driving all the job creators out of California. If anything, 5% is too low. Why not 50%?” Cruz sarcastically quipped. “Texans are enjoying the prosperity!”

Khanna fired back, reminding Cruz of the impact of regressive tax policies on millions of Texans.

“It's a matter of values. We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working class Californians have the Medicaid your party cut,” Khanna wrote in a social media post on X Saturday.

“Texas ranks near last in healthcare, education funding, and worker protections. Meanwhile, we still have an $18 trillion innovation economy because of investment in education & science and attracting hard working immigrants. Happy to show you around the Valley anytime!”

Texas has the 7th most regressive state and local tax system in the nation, meaning low-income Texans pay a disproportionately larger share of their income in taxes than those with high incomes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Perhaps consequently, Texas also ranks poorly in health care performance, education funding and worker protections.

Regarding health care, the Lone Star State ranks 50th for overall health care performance, has the highest uninsured rate in the nation – by a “wide margin” – and ranked the lowest for health care access and affordability. Texas ranks 44th in terms of per-pupil funding relative to education spending needs, and ranks 45th in worker protections.

It's a matter of values.

We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working class Californians have the Medicaid your party cut.

Texas ranks near last in healthcare, education funding, and worker protections.

Meanwhile, we still have an $18 trillion innovation… https://t.co/VGMpjHajFP
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 28, 2025

'All of us hate' him: Ted Cruz gets warning that his own party wants to sink him

Ted Cruz could face off against a section of the Republican Party that "hate" him — and another huge obstacle — should he bid for the presidency, according to a report.

Cruz had tried and failed to pitch himself in 2016, losing to Donald Trump in the primaries. But a comeback could be on for the long-serving GOP Texas senator. Insiders believe Cruz must face off against a contingent of the party who simply "hate" him, and the apparent shoo-in nomination for vice president, JD Vance.

The Washington Post suggested that, if Cruz does intend on running, he may face more pushback from the Republican Party than most others would when announcing a presidential bid.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who confirmed her retirement earlier this year, suggested the MAGA contingent of the party is fully on the side of JD Vance. She said, "The Republicans will be fighting for their identity. There’ll be Ted Cruz, I’m sure, running against JD Vance. All of us hate Ted Cruz."

Skepticism remains over whether a Cruz bid for the 2028 nomination would go very far. The Washington Post reporters Liz Goodwin and Emily Davies wrote, "The emerging rivalry shows how much the party has changed under Trump’s leadership since Cruz arrived in the Senate in 2013."

"After rising to prominence as a rebel against the establishment, Cruz is now a vocal champion of some longtime orthodox GOP positions, as a new generation of conservatives is ascending with a different vision."

"Some political observers are skeptical that another Cruz run would gain much traction. He can no longer run as an outsider and alienated some conservatives with his fight against Trump in the 2016 campaign."

"Still, Cruz has built name recognition and relationships with plenty of activists and donors across the country in recent years, and it’s far from clear what will animate the base in the next GOP primary."

Cruz has refused to make himself a clear ally of Donald Trump during the president's second term, with many believing this distance means the senator is putting the groundwork in for a run at the presidency. A source close to Trump has called Cruz's interest in the NASA administrator role a "desperate attempt" at relaunching his political career.

They told NOTUS, "The roadblocks that Ted is putting up in front of the president’s nominee for NASA administrator — someone who’s gone through the hearing and is qualified — only serve as a desperate attempt to relaunch a political career as a protest candidate. Ted has been terribly unserious as of late."

Texas GOP senators dodge questions over ethics of Trump pardon for 'Blue Dog' bribery Dem

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), a conservative Democratic congressman facing bribery, money laundering and conspiracy charges, out of disinterested concern for the politicization of the Department of Justice under Joe Biden, Republican senator Ted Cruz claimed on Wednesday.

“The Constitution gives the pardon power exclusively to the President,” Cruz told Raw Story at the Capitol, when asked about the Cuellar pardon, which Trump announced on social media. “It's his decision how to exercise it.”

Raw Story asked if Cruz was worried, given the seriousness of the charges against Cuellar, that the Trump White House was nonetheless setting “a bad example for politicians writ large?”

“The Biden Department of Justice, sadly, was weaponized and politicized,” Cruz said. “And I think President Trump is rightly concerned about the politicization of the Department of Justice.”

Trump made the same claim in his statement announcing the Cuellar pardon.

In reality, Trump has been widely criticized for politicizing the Department of Justice himself, not least through direct public orders to Attorney General Pam Bondi to indict political enemies such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump's use of the pardon power has also been widely criticized, from issuing pardons and other acts of clemency to more than 1,500 people charged in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Congress to rewarding domestic and international allies — this week including a former president of Honduras convicted of drug trafficking, which Trump also claimed was a case of victimization under Joe Biden.

Cuellar has been in Congress since 2005. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston in May 2024, when Joe Biden was president.

According to the DoJ, Cuellar and his wife Imelda Cuellar “allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City.”

The DoJ alleged that the bribes were “laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar,” while “Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan …and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank.”

The Cuellars denied wrongdoing.

Earlier this year it was widely reported that the DoJ had decided to move forward with the case, despite Trump indicating support for the Cuellars.

On Wednesday, announcing the pardon on Truth Social, Trump said he pardoned Cuellar because he had been victimized for “bravely [speaking] out against” the Biden administration on immigration policy.

After a rambling complaint about supposed Democratic bias at the Department of Justice during the Biden administration, Trump said: “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”

Before the Cuellar pardon became public, Michael Wolff, a leading Trump biographer, described how even the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein worried about how Trump would use the pardon power.

"Jeffrey Epstein had a kind of riff about this,” Wolff told the Daily Beast, “because even before Trump became president, [Epstein] would talk about, 'If Donald became president and he had the pardon power ... Trump … often … talked about this in a kind of wide-eyed incredulity. 'I can pardon anyone. No one can do anything about it. If I pardon them. I have absolute power.'

"Epstein had focused on this and said … he loves showing the power that he has, and he said he would do it in a childlike way.”

Trump's relationship with Epstein remains the subject of a broiling Capitol Hill scandal, concerning the release of files related to Epstein's arrest and death in 2019.

At the Capitol on Wednesday, Raw Story also caught up with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

“What do you make of this full unconditional pardon of your colleague, Mr. Cuellar?” Raw Story asked.

“It's entirely within the President's prerogative and Congress doesn't have a role,” Cornyn said.

All presidential pardons are political.

Cornyn pointed to political realities, saying: “I've known Henry a long time and had a very productive working relationship. He's I guess one of the last of the 'Blue Dogs' that are quickly becoming extinct, Democrats that actually will work with Republicans.”

“What do you make of the charges against him?” Raw Story asked, listing bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.

“That's the Department of Justice,” Cornyn said. “I don't have anything to do with that.”

‘Why people hate politicians’: Senior Dem slams GOP senators for J6 payout bid

WASHINGTON — A move by Senate Republicans to allow members of their caucus whose phone records were swept up in the Jan. 6, 2021 investigation to sue the government they are a part of “stinks like sh––”, a prominent Democrat told Raw Story.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are appalled and vow to follow the House and swiftly nix the measure.

The controversial provision directed by Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was included in the bill to reopen the government after the recent record-breaking shutdown.

“It stinks like sh––. It's just stinky,” Sen. Luján told Raw Story: “It's why people across the country hate politicians.

“Because, you know, under the guise of opening up the government and [with] Republicans saying they would not allow food programs to go forward … they sneak in more than a $500,000 payoff.”

Under the Senate measure passed on Nov. 10, senators who had their phone records collected during Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol could qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation.

At the time, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), one of the senators investigated over his links to Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, said: “Leader Thune inserted that in the bill to provide real teeth to the prohibition on the Department of Justice targeting senators.”

Cruz also bemoaned what he called “the abuse of power from the Biden Justice Department … the worst single instance of politicization our country has ever seen,” telling Politico: “I think it is Joe Biden’s Watergate, and the statutory prohibition needs to have real teeth and real consequences.”

But the move caused widespread outcry. Last week, the House, which is controlled by Republicans, voted unanimously to repeal the provision.

“It's $500,000 per instance, so it's arguably millions of dollars for arguably eight senators,” Sen. Lujan told Raw Story at the Capitol, ahead of lawmakers’ Thanksgiving recess.

“It's stinky. There's a reason why the House Republicans said this was garbage and they acted so quickly. So kudos to them for moving so quickly, and kudos to Sen. [Martin] Heinrich (D-NM) for offering a piece of legislation that says, ‘Take it out.’”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was among other Democrats who told Raw Story they expected the Senate to remove the compensation measure, “probably in one of the one of the must-passes [budgetary bills] at the end of the year.”

‘What the hell are they up to?’

Lujan did accept Republican concerns about senators’ phone records being obtained by Smith and his team.

“Whether it's Democrats or Republicans, I mean, what the hell are they up to?” Lujan asked. “Why are they doing it? Arguably, it's against the law.”

But he also demanded to know why Republican senators needed a “payout” on the issue when they “left out” of their legislation “my Republican colleague out of Pennsylvania that was also in the damn report” — a reference to either Mike Kelly or Scott Perry, the only two Key Stone State lawmakers mentioned.

“It's stupid, and it's broken all around,” Lujan said.

‘We’ll talk about it’

Republican senators are reportedly split over how to amend their measure after its rejection by the House.

At the Capitol, Sen. Cruz dodged Raw Story’s question, saying he had a call to attend to.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said her party would be “discussing it.”

She also said she had not known about Thune’s provision when the government funding bill passed.

“I think the leaders even said, you know, maybe the process of doing it was not the best,” Capito said. “The substance of it, I don't argue with, being able to keep the separation of powers, but we'll talk about it next week.”

Democrats want to make it as uncomfortable as possible.

“It's outrageous that people would put into the bill essentially a check for themselves for up to $500,000,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told Raw Story.

“Are you guys pressuring?” Raw Story asked.

“Oh, we're working very hard to overturn it,” Van Hollen promised.

This unlikely messenger is exposing Trump's killer weakness

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), according to reporting in Axios, is setting his sights on a 2028 run for the presidency. The report forced Donald Trump to respond to it, and thus to talk about life without him as the leader of MAGA, much less America.

No, Cruz will not be elected president in ‘28 — and we certainly don’t want that to happen — but we should encourage the talk nonetheless, and media should to bring it up more. Apparently, the White House is angry with Cruz for putting it out there, seeing it as undermining Trump — and JD Vance. As NOTUS reports:

The White House and its allies believe Sen. Ted Cruz is taking positions antithetical to President Donald Trump from his perch as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee as a way to position himself against Vice President JD Vance ahead of 2028.

And they’re not happy about it. Cruz has been making life difficult for the White House behind the scenes.

And that’s why it’s a good thing. This week’s outcome of the months-long debacle in Congress over the Epstein files, coming to a head after Republicans saw a Democratic blowout at the polls two weeks ago, underscores that Trump is a lame duck.

The dam burst, as Republicans rushed to vote to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files. We have not seen a president rebuked like this in ions, with a veto-proof majority that was nearly unanimous in the House and Senate.

Sure, Trump jumped on the bandwagon and told Republicans to vote for it, but only after he saw he was going to lose big. He could release the files at any time, and didn’t need a bill. He signed the bill — which he had to do, or face that veto-proof majority — with no cameras, nor with the victims by his side, announcing it on Truth Social in the dead of night.

Trump was forced to do something he was loath to do. It doesn’t mean the files will be released, as he’ll go to Plan B or Plan C, working with the DOJ to block them or strip out anything in them about him. While that’s not good for the victims who want justice, any further stonewalling will just keep the story out there. It will never go away, and will continue to bring Trump down.

Trump is the lamest of ducks, as Republicans in states like Indiana now defy his orders to redistrict and further gerrymander. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (D-GA) went for broke and created a huge clash with Trump. She was the most high-profile deep, dark MAGA figure to break with him, taking a gamble that it would work for her. And it did.

Trump finally exploded and called her a “traitor” — which is rich for so many reasons, including that she’s used that word against so many others — inspiring violent threats against her. None of us knows MTG’s true motives. On Friday, she dropped the stunning news that she would resign from Congress in January. There’s been lots of talk about her positioning herself to run for president too.

Bring it on!

No, MTG will not be elected president. But the more the MAGA base talks about this rift and about other Republicans running for president, the more they show that they’re dividing and also looking at life beyond Trump, who’s dropped his threats — for now — of running for a third term.

Trump’s power over the GOP is slipping, and the Jeffrey Epstein debacle was really a massive exposure of that. NBC News reports that Greene’s voters, while they still support Trump in her blood-red, gerrymandered district in Georgia, also continue to support her.

Before Greene announced her resignation, NBC interviewed voters in her district. Trump had pulled his endorsement of Greene and threatened to back a candidate to primary her. But it doesn’t seem to be working:

“That’s not right. It’s not right,” Debbie Dyer, 60, said of Trump’s accusation. “She should not be seen as a traitor. She’s trying to do the best for the American people and I think Donald Trump should accommodate her and work for America.”

“She has a lot of courage and tells it like it is,” added Dyer, who lives in Dalton, near the Tennessee border, and works at a carpet company.

Trump was hoping the voters would choose between him and Greene, and choose him — his black-and-white world in which you’re either with him or you’re against him — but that doesn’t appear to be happening. This tactic always worked for Trump, but it’s now deflating.

“Some people are struggling with it. Some are choosing Team Marjorie, and some are Team Trump,” said Angela Dollar, a local Republican official in Floyd County, part of Greene’s district.

As for Dollar: “I can like two people who don’t like each other. My hope is they’ll reconcile.”

It seems highly doubtful that Trump is going to destroy Greene. And that’s a big deal.

Of course, none of us should trust or root for Greene, who’s been a vile force in politics, her recent pushback on Trump notwithstanding.

But if Trump no longer has the power to destroy Republicans by backing primaries against them — and as more of them learn that that’s true — we could see the GOP bucking him on a number of issues as we head toward the mid-terms, where Democrats have opened up a big lead in the generic ballot.(A whopping 14 points in one poll, and high single digits in others.)

Republicans are in disarray, with a civil war under way over everything from welcoming holocaust denier Nick Fuentes into the party to fears about the impact of Obamacare subsidies expiring.

The only thing uniting the GOP for years has been a fear of Trump.

But if that fear dissipates, the splits just widen, as they fight one another more and facilitate the MAGA crack up. And that is definitely something to root for.

Michelangelo Signorile writes The Signorile Report, a free and reader-supported Substack. If you’ve valued reading The Signorile Report, consider becoming a paid subscriber and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism.

'End Ted's career': White House insiders warn Ted Cruz antics are riling Trump

White House staff are bracing themselves for an apparent 2028 presidential campaign run from Ted Cruz.

The Republican senator has served Texas since 2013 and has recently taken to opposing Trump on a number of key issues. Insiders believe this is an active strategy from Cruz to position himself against Vice President JD Vance ahead of the 2028 election.

According to NOTUS, Cruz has been making life difficult for White House staffers as he takes on more views and positions that go directly against Trump's stance. Cruz had reportedly been backing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to head up the NASA administration role, while Vance and the White House team had been pushing for Jared Isaacman.

It seems this could be one of many battles the two presidential candidates clash over should Cruz confirm he is in the running for the presidency. A source close to Trump has called Cruz's interest in the NASA administrator role a "desperate attempt" at relaunching his political career.

Another unnamed source called Cruz's opposition to Trump and the White House a "pretty transparent" agenda that has become "a frustration" to the Trump administration.

A third source close to Trump added, "He won’t collaborate or support any of the agenda Trump ran on. Instead, he’s used his role to stifle Trump’s priorities. Ted is quickly going the way of MTG, and I can only imagine what fresh nickname Trump comes up with now to end Ted’s career for the second time."

Trump has also commented on the likely campaign run from Cruz in 2028, calling the Texas Senator a "really good guy". The president added he is "not that surprised" to hear Cruz is considering a run for the presidency in 2028.

Reporter Reese Gorman later suggested the back and forth between Cruz and the Trump administration had led to "bad blood between the two sides" which could come to a head in the 2028 primaries.

Ted Cruz blasts rising Dem star as 'crazy' as she eyes Senate seat after GOP redistricting

WASHINGTON — A longtime Texas Republican senator Thursday called a rising Democratic star and a prominent critic of President Donald Trump eyeing a Senate seat "crazy."

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was asked about Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who said this week she is "strongly" considering a run for Senate and has drawn attention in initial polls to potentially challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), whose term ends in January 2027.

"Well, the polling I've seen shows her leading the Democrat primary," Cruz said. "I think sadly, today's Democrat(ic) Party, has no shortage on crazy."

If she joins the race, Crockett is likely to face off against several Democrats, including former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who lost in 2024 to Cruz and has built a following across the state, Politico reports.

Another opponent would be state Rep. James Talarico, who announced he would join the race in September, and astronaut Terry Virts, according to Newsweek.

The potential move follows Texas Republicans' redistricting of her House seat to make it more competitive for Republican candidates — something she referred to as karmic — in an interview Wednesday on SiriusXM’s The Lurie Daniel Favors Show.

"If you want to take my seat of 766,000 away, I feel like there has to be some karma in that to where I take your seat that is for 30 million away. So we are, you know, the primary is the primary. That's cool, but you got to win the general. So we are doing some testing here shortly to see if I can expand the electorate," Crockett said.

"The question will be whether or not we believe that we've got enough juice to expand the electorate and looking at those cross tabs and looking at which demographics are more inclined to come out, who normally do not vote. If we can expand the electorate, then I will strongly be considering hopping in the Senate race,” Crockett said.

Rep. Al Green (D-TX) told Raw Story that if she runs, Crockett could mobilize voters.

"I think she can," Green said. "I think the state is changing. I think we're having young people register to vote. She appeals to young people. I think she can bring out those young people and I do think that people are concerned about the future of our state.

“When we have the Guadalupe River taking these many lives and the state did not take actions … then you've got the president who has cut FEMA. These things are things of concerns. So I think there's some issues that she can raise that would appeal to the very young as well as the very conservative."

Crockett's potential campaign could help target a particular group, he explained.

"She will bring out new voters. I'm talking about new voters who are young and voting for the first time, but new voters who have been out of the system for some time but are eligible to vote," Green added.

Sen. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) described Crockett as "tireless" in her work supporting Democrats and her constituents in an interview with Raw Story.

"She's provided a real spark and a charismatic voice to get our message across for Democrats," Castro said.

'Stop attacking pedophiles!' Ted Cruz appears to make awkward gaffe during Senate hearing

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) made an apparent blunder on camera Tuesday when he said Republicans and Democrats should come together and "stop attacking pedophiles."

Cruz was speaking at a Senate hearing on Trump administration actions to address crime when he attempted to convey how bipartisan efforts in Congress should be supported.

"Now, Senator Booker also said we should have bipartisan agreement. I think that's a great idea," Cruz said. "We should have bipartisan agreement. How about we all come together and say, 'Let's stop murders.' How about we all come together and say, 'Let's stop rapes.' How about we all come together and say, 'Let's stop attacking pedophiles.'"

He then continued to talk about what happened when the National Guard was ordered to Washington, D.C.

"I want you to look at what happened when the National Guard went to D.C. robbery fell by 57%, homicide fell by 58%, sex abuse fell by 40%. Those are real results," Cruz said.

The internet responded by mocking Cruz, reacting on social media with a series of responses. It appears that no one corrected him after his statement.

'It’s a crime!' Pam Bondi's hate speech remark gets pushback even from MAGA senator

Attorney General Pam Bondi's statements over prosecuting hate speech in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing have prompted some conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), to respond and defend Constitutional protections on Tuesday.

It's also prompted Bondi to walk back her initial statements. Bondi appeared on the Katie Miller podcast on Monday, saying the Department of Justice will “absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”

Cruz said Tuesday that her comments were "misconstrued."

“The First Amendment absolutely protects speech,” Cruz said at Politico's AI & Tech Summit on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. “It absolutely protects hate speech. It protects vile speech. It protects horrible speech. What does that mean? It means you cannot be prosecuted for speech, even if it is evil and bigoted and wrong.”

“We have seen, as you noted, across the country, people on the left — not everybody, but far too many people — celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder,” Cruz said. “We’ve seen teachers in high schools and elementary schools posting online, celebrating. We’ve seen university professors posting. In my view, they should absolutely face the consequences for celebrating murder.”

Cruz praised Kirk, sharing that he had a friendship with the right-wing influencer.

Bondi posted on social media Tuesday, clarifying that "hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment."

"It’s a crime," she wrote, continuing to double down on her attack of the "radical left."

"For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over," Bondi said.

In another interview later Monday with Fox News' Sean Hannity, she called on employers to fire their employees who have said "horrible things" or criticized Kirk's past rhetoric, NBC News reports.

"It’s free speech, but you shouldn’t be employed anywhere if you’re going to say that. And employers, you have an obligation to get rid of people. You need to look at people who are saying horrible things, and they shouldn’t be working with you," she said.

Some MAGA supporters have called for Bondi to resign.

Several people have been targeted for comments they shared in the aftermath of Kirk's assassination, including educators and journalists.

'Couldn't muster a word!' MAGA melts down as Charlie Kirk snubbed at the Emmys

MAGA is criticizing the Emmys for snubbing Charlie Kirk, a conservative podcast host and Turning Point USA founder, who was shot and killed last week during a speaking event at a Utah university.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Monday attacked Hollywood and reshared a Hollywood Reporter article, apparently upset over how Kirk was not mentioned during the award show acceptance speeches Sunday night, Politico reports.

“Hollywood claims they’re all about free speech,” Cruz wrote on social media. “And yet not even ONE of them could muster a word about @charliekirk11 being assassinated because of his speech.”

Cruz turned his attention to Hannah Einbinder, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and declared, “F--- ICE and free Palestine!”

The event mainly dodged politics and avoided Kirk's name, Politico reports.

And MAGA wasn't happy.

“The Emmys made ZERO reference to Charlie Kirk who was assassinated... This is the Hollywood left,” a user on X with more than 36,000 followers wrote.

Another conservative voice on X called Hollywood "evil" and "a joke," saying "it ignored a political voice with a major media presence who was gunned down just 5 days earlier."

"Charlie Kirk lost his life debating in the open for all to see and challenge. These clowns get paid millions to tell partisan “jokes” to their partisan audiences while losing money for their employers," a Salem Radio network affiliate posted on X, calling the show "insulting."

Cruz and other MAGA lawmakers have criticized people who have spoken out against Kirk's rhetoric, even calling for the firing of people who spoke out against right-wing extremism.