Ted Cruz draws backlash saying 'Christ is King' is antisemitic: 'You are a heretic'

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Controversy erupted after remarks by Sen. Ted Cruz regarding the phrase “Christ is King,” which he suggested has increasingly been used online as an antisemitic expression.

The comments sparked backlash on social media and among political figures, with critics rejecting the interpretation and defending the phrase as a traditional Christian declaration. The debate has since intensified discussions about religion, political messaging, and antisemitism in contemporary discourse.

Ted Cruz claims phrase ‘Christ is King’ used as anti-Jewish code

Cruz’s remarks quickly triggered strong reactions online, where many users rejected his interpretation of the phrase and defended it as a purely religious statement of Christian faith. Commenters argued that declaring “Christ is King” reflects a core theological belief and should not be treated as antisemitic.

One user said, "Christ is King. Christ is our Savior who died on the Cross for our sins including yours, heretic! Crucified by the Jews—that’s a fact! Because they chose a criminal Barabas to be freed instead of an innocent humble man Jesus! Ted Cruz. you are not a Christian! You are a heretic!"

Another user commented, "Ted Cruz is NOT a genuine Christian. He's an agent for the modern state of Israel. An Israel that has nothing to do with the biblical Israel."

Another netizen said, "So proclaiming a Jew as our king is antisemitism?"

A viewer noted, "Ted Cruz is a fraud. Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat. Christ is King"

One commenter said, "His political aspirations just ended."

Ted Cruz raises concerns on anti-Semitism

Speaking in an interview with CBN News, Cruz said he had grown concerned about the way the phrase “Christ is King” is used in some online spaces. While acknowledging that he agrees with the religious statement itself, he argued that the phrase has sometimes been used to convey hostility toward Jewish people.

Cruz stated that he had become “really troubled” by instances in which the phrase appeared alongside attacks on Jews. According to him, the expression is sometimes used in online conversations in a manner meant to insult Jewish people.

He said the phrase has occasionally been deployed in right-wing nationalist circles where it follows comments targeting Jews, which he described as an attempt to give those remarks a biblical justification.

The senator said that people attacking Jews would end their statements with the phrase “Christ is King” in order to present the criticism as rooted in scripture. Cruz also explained that the pattern led him to ask his pastor at Houston’s First Baptist Church about the meaning and implications of the phrase.

During the discussion, Cruz described the phrase as functioning almost like an online code word in some contexts. He said that in those situations it effectively conveys hostility toward Jews.

The Texas senator also noted that he did not recall hearing the phrase commonly used while growing up in his religious community. As an alternative expression of Christian belief, he suggested phrases such as “Jesus loves you.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.