Fact Check: Did Ted Cruz say Trump 'would have nuked Denmark'?

GOFFSTOWN, NEW HAMPSHIRE: A clip of Senator Ted Cruz has been circulating on social media in which he appears to reference President Donald Trump and the prospects of using nuclear weapons against Denmark. The clip has drawn debate and speculation online, with many users questioning when the statement was made. Let us fact-check the claim.

Claim: Ted Cruz said Trump 'would have nuked Denmark'

According to the video, the US senator from Texas said, "We're liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark."

The alleged quote is circulating on social media platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and Reddit.

The clip circulated as tensions grew following the Trump administration’s expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, an island in the Arctic which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Fact Check: Ted Cruz made the statement in 2016

The video is a decade old, when then-Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz spoke about Donald Trump at a campaign event in New Hampshire on February 3, 2016.

Hence, it proves that Cruz did make the remark.

His exact words were, “I don't know anyone who would be comfortable with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button. I mean, we're liable to wake up one morning, and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark. That's not the temperament of a leader to keep this country safe.”

At the time of this writing, the administration had not ruled out using military force to take the island, while Denmark and its European allies had reportedly stepped up their military presence in the region. 

Ted Cruz's shifting stance on Donald Trump

For the 2016 presidential election, Ted Cruz was the first candidate to enter the Republican Party's primaries, positioning himself as a conservative alternative to Donald Trump.

He dropped out of the race in May that year, around three months after making the remark about Trump and Denmark.

Trump would later go on to win the Republican nomination and the presidential election the same year. 

Cruz later changed his stance on Trump and went on to endorse him during the Republican primaries ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which Trump ultimately won.