Sen. Ted Cruz has once again found himself in social media’s crosshairs after making a poorly received joke about Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s weight.
On Wednesday, Cruz unleashed a tirade against Pritzker on Newsmax after the governor voiced opposition to President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.
“I don’t want to get between J.B. Pritzker and the Domino’s Pizza line, but I’ll tell you what I am willing to get between is him and his open doors for every human trafficker, every drug trafficker, every MS-13 and Tren De Aragua gang member,” Cruz said, calling Pritzker a “racist bigot.”
On X and Bluesky, Pritzker fired back: “I would never want to get between Ted and a trip to Cancun when there’s an emergency in Texas,” referencing Cruz’s controversial 2021 trip to Cancun during an unprecedented winter snowstorm.
The Daily Beast also broke news of Cruz’s vacation in Athens during July’s flooding in Central Texas that killed 138.
Social media users piled on Cruz. Some found it odd that Cruz would choose to make a crack about Pritzker’s weight.
“Considering how svelte Ted Cruz is, he should STFU about other’s bodies,” joked one Bluesky user.
“Glass houses, Rafael, glass houses,” wrote an X user.
One user cut to the heart of the matter by captioning a photo of Ted Cruz with his gut prominently hanging over his jeans: “Ted Cruz has been cracking fat jokes about Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker.”
Others were offended by Cruz’s impression of the Chicago pizza scene. Another X user wrote: “Cancun Cruz thinks that Chicago’s favorite pizza is Domino’s?!”
The spat between Cruz and Pritzker comes as part of the battle between Washington and Chicago officials over President Trump’s expressed desire to send troops to Chicago.
“Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday. “Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon.”
Crime in Chicago is near its lowest in four decades, according to WBEZ’s review of the Chicago Police Department’s annual reports, and summer 2025 saw the city’s lowest homicide rate in 60 years.
On Tuesday, Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the president’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act and was therefore illegal. The Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Cruz for comment on Pritzker’s remark.
