Ted Cruz Mocked by CNN Hosts for 'Groveling' to Tucker Carlson

CNN hosts Anderson Cooper, Brianna Keilar and Brian Stelter mocked Ted Cruz after the senator apologized to Tucker Carlson for calling January 6 a "violent terrorist attack."

The network's anchors took aim at the Texas Republican after he appeared on the Fox News host's show to backtrack on remarks, which he has made several times before, following criticism from Carlson.

Cruz has referred to January 6 as a terrorist incident at least 17 times on social media, statements or public hearings over the past year, according to CNN, but never apologized for them—until Carlson took issue.

On Friday, Cooper accused Cruz of "assuming the position" in a desperate bid for Carlson's forgiveness; Stelter predicted a Republican "Tucker Carlson primary"; and Keilar said Cruz had "rushed to the misinformation mothership."

During Cooper's monologue about Cruz, CNN's chyron at the bottom of the screen read: "Thank You Sir, May I Have Another?"

"Senator Cruz's alleged sin was having the gumption to refer to the assault on the Capitol as a terrorist attack, something that turns out he's done 17 times before," Cooper said, playing a clip of Cruz calling his own comments "sloppy" and "frankly dumb."

"A sitting U.S. Senator, one of only 100, someone with actual influence, a former presidential candidate nonetheless, grovelling at the feet of Tucker Carlson," Cooper said.

Copper then pointed to how Cruz is still a staunch Donald Trump supporter even after the former president made disparaging remarks about his wife, and suggested his father was somehow linked to John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The host also suggested the reason why Cruz was so willing to act "docile" to Carlson is he is aware of the major influence he has over the GOP.

"The power of the Republican Party is now at the fringes," Cooper said. "That's where the energy is energy that the Ted Cruz's of the world are betting will drive voters to the polls, or a year ago drove mobs to storm the very institution that Senator Cruz is supposed to serve."

Keilar and Cooper both referenced criticism of Cruz when in 2021 he flew to Cancun, Mexico, while Texas experienced a major winter freeze and mass power outages.

Cruz "rushed to the misinformation mother ship faster than he fled to Cancun during a deadly deep freeze in his state to bend the knee before Tucker Carlson, even though the Fox host isn't a serious or even a believable person," said Keilar, who called Carlson a "bulls**t artist."

Stelter, meanwhile, suggested Cruz "folded like a paper airplane" because he knew that he would need Carlson—and his fanbase—on side if he ever runs for president again.

Stelter said Cruz's apology is proof of the Fox News host's power within the GOP, and that it will shape the future of the party for the entirety of the 2024 presidential cycle.

Speaking to Victor Blackwell on CNN Newsroom, Stelter said: "About a year ago, media reporters like yours truly started to say Tucker Carlson is the new Donald Trump, and I've never seen a bit of proof that's better than this. This is the ultimate example of Tucker Carlson's power.

"He essentially now runs the GOP media and as we think about the midterms and 2024, there is going to be a Tucker Carlson primary and you just saw what it's going to be like. It's going to be this kind of obsession with sticking to the party orthodoxy and denying the reality of the riot."

Cruz's representatives have been contacted for comment.