Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took a major swing at right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, labeling him a “deranged, Leftist psycho” who “loves Sharia” law, The Hill reported. This heated exchange unfolded on X after Cruz responded to a post from his own media company. The original post featured a statement claiming that “Muslims love Jesus.” The Tucker Carlson Network had shared this sentiment in response to a controversial image posted by President Trump on Truth Social.
The image in question, which was generated by AI, appeared to depict the president as Jesus. This move by the president followed a period of intense tension, including his recent clash with Pope Leo XIV over the ongoing war in Iran. The Tucker Carlson Network argued that this specific image was problematic, noting, “That’s why Donald Trump’s painting depicting himself as the Son of God offended the president of Iran. It was an attack on his religion as well as Christianity.”
It is worth noting that Trump eventually deleted the post after it drew significant heat from his own supporters, including podcaster Joe Rogan and former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Despite the backlash, the president claimed he believed the image was meant to portray him as a doctor, and he maintained that he did not remove it because of the criticism.
This isn’t the first time we have seen Cruz go after Carlson
The relationship between the two figures has soured considerably since the war in Iran began, with Carlson offering increasingly sharp critiques of the president’s strategy. When Carlson previously denounced the president’s demand for Iran to make an “unconditional surrender,” Cruz didn’t hold back. He claimed on his podcast that the sentiment was “to the left of [Sen.] Chris Murphy” and even went as far as to say, “That is more anti-American rhetoric than anything I’ve ever heard Bernie Sanders say.” Cruz added, “Tucker continues to go to new lows and new lows. The more Tucker Carlson attacks Donald Trump the more fringe he gets.”
The tension really escalated after the president posted a message on Easter Sunday threatening Iran. In that post, Trump wrote, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F‑‑‑in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Carlson reacted to this by accusing the president of “mocking the religion of Iran” on his podcast. He argued, “Who do you think you are? You’re tweeting out the f-word on Easter morning. So, obviously, you’re mocking the religion of Iran. OK. If you seek a religious war, that’s a good idea. But by the way, no decent person mocks other people’s religions. You may have a problem with the theology. Presumably, you do if it’s not your religion, and you can explain what that is. But to mock other people’s faith is to mock the idea of faith itself.”
Carlson further suggested that the president’s rhetoric implies he thinks he is God. “The message of all faith at the biggest picture level is the message in our Bible, which is you are not God. And only if you think you are, do you talk this way,” Carlson said on his program. “But it’s not just mockery of Islam. And no president should mock Islam. That’s not your job. This is not a theocracy. We don’t go to war with other theocracies to find out which theocracy is more effective. We are not a theocracy. And God willing, we never will be because theocracies corrupt the religion.”
Trump dismissed the commentator entirely. “Tucker’s a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on,” the president said. “He calls me all the time; I don’t respond to his calls. I don’t deal with him. I like dealing with smart people, not fools.”
The Iranian government has also weighed in on the president’s social media activity. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian slammed the image of Trump as Jesus in an X post. “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV … I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person,” Pezeshkian stated.
Published: Apr 16, 2026 03:15 pm