Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is known more for his internet trolling and loyalty to former President Donald Trump than passing legislation.
Whether he's joking about abandoning his constituents as they went without power during a deadly winter storm, or praising the Russian Military at the expense of the United States, Cruz is no stranger to widespread social media disdain.
But in a Wednesday tweet, one tweet of Cruz's had people confused.
The Senator was reacting to the Biden administration's recent deal not to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline stretching from Germany to Russia. The Administration sought to avoid souring relations with Germany on a project that, according to Biden, is "99 percent finished." The deal also secured funding from Germany to weaken Ukraine's dependence on neighboring Russia's natural gas exports.
While the decision not to block the 750 mile pipeline was met with criticism from members on both sides of the aisle, Cruz's opposition was oddly expressed.
“Biden satisfies Putin.” 🍆🤡 Maybe not the headline they were looking for. 🤔 https://t.co/lFaqamXXAy— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1626898678.0
Cruz focused on a tweet from the AFP News Agency noting that the Kremlin was "satisfied" with the deal. He responded with an eggplant emoji—long used to connote a penis—and a clown emoji.
He concluded:
"Maybe not the headline they were looking for. 🤔"
People were confused.
what the https://t.co/lelAdF33xq— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1626927444.0
what universe are we living in... https://t.co/6YLbG4tijJ— blob (@blob) 1626903303.0
There are not enough words in the English language for me to adequately verbalize my thoughts here https://t.co/nvDF9GnduY— Caleb Plott (@Caleb Plott) 1626903019.0
My imposter syndrome has suddenly evaporated https://t.co/qxwT8Ue5Vu— Rudy FunkMeyer (@Rudy FunkMeyer) 1626903297.0
why did ted say this https://t.co/BYwjWXfxgz— west coast elite ⛅️🌐🍦 (@west coast elite ⛅️🌐🍦) 1626899122.0
how do you even respond to this like actually https://t.co/ffZvBVZJ63— un-abel 🐢 (@un-abel 🐢) 1626907600.0
The sleaziness and immaturity of the tweet enraged others.
If you ever do anything constructive to benefit your constituents while blazing on your path to self-fulfillment, i… https://t.co/63hD6sp16w— Tammy Marshall (@Tammy Marshall) 1626904894.0
This isn't the first time Cruz has sparked backlash for lewdness on the internet. On September 11, 2017 Cruz's account "liked" a pornographic tweet, causing it to appear in others' timelines.