Ted Cruz, John Fetterman agree on hating one ‘evil’ during bipartisan interview
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., agreed Tuesday during an interview on “Hannity” to condemn antisemitism in a moment when shared ideology and praise are rare.
“I want to congratulate John Fetterman for his courage… he showed extraordinary courage in calling out anti-Semitism in his own party. And he did so at great cost to himself,” Senator Cruz told host Sean Hannity.
The senators’ bipartisan debate comes in the wake of the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.
Authorities say the attack occurred as about 1,000 people gathered at Australia’s most popular beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
AUSTRALIA MOVES TO TIGHTEN GUN LAWS AFTER THE DEATH OF 15 PEOPLE AT BONDI BEACH IN HANUKKAH
Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach following a terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, on December 14, 2025. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)
“What we saw at Bondi Beach was the latest manifestation of this evil, and this evil is spreading. Hatred of Israel. Hatred of the Jews,” Cruz said.
“Them [Jews] You know, they can’t even celebrate one of their holidays without being shot, mowed down, and targeted,” Fetterman added.
In what Fetterman called a “horrible massacre”, 42 people, including two police officers, were hospitalized.
According to reports, one of the dead victims was a Holocaust survivor.
The Democratic lawmaker emphasized that anti-Semitism is a problem his party must “confront,” and Cruz agreed, sharing his harsh criticism of the deadly Bondi attack.
“This is so strange, evil and dangerous, we need to stand up and oppose it,” the Texas senator said.
Senator Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
New South Wales police said two suspects, a father and a son, were detained. 50-year-old father died; His 24-year-old son remains injured in the hospital.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that the attack was motivated by “Islamic State ideology”.
Senator Cruz condemned the “radical” Islamic state.
“Radical Islamic terrorism is at war with us,” he told Fox News. “That’s their goal. This father-son killer duo [sic] “It’s linked to ISIS.”
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Ahmed al-Ahmad, a 43-year-old Muslim, is known to have disarmed one of the two gunmen. This heroic act was captured in a viral video showing him taking the firearm from the attacker’s hands.
Ahmed received numerous accolades for his life-saving actions. Albanese called him an “Australian hero”.
Israeli officials have harshly criticized the Australian government for failing to protect Jewish communities at a time when they say anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise.
Responding to the shooting in X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he wrote a letter to Albanese four months ago.
Netanyahu said, “I told him: ‘Your policy encourages terrorism. It encourages antisemitism.'” He wrote to X.
As their conversation went beyond the Bondi attack, Cruz and Fetterman also expressed agreement with President Donald Trump’s destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“The most important foreign policy decision President Trump made in his second term was the decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Cruz said.
“When the Ayatollah chants death slogans against America, I believe him,” the Republican senator added. “As commander in chief, the president has an obligation to keep the American people safe, and allowing the Ayatollah to obtain a nuclear weapon that he could use to kill thousands, even millions, of Americans was an unacceptable risk.”
Senator John Fetterman attends a debate on June 2, 2025 in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Senator Fetterman called President Trump’s bombing an “absolutely” appropriate move.
“I believe I am the only Democrat who truly wants and fully supports the bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility,” Fetterman added.
The debate turned to domestic concerns, including increasing anti-Semitic incidents in the United States.
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Fetterman criticized former President Joe Biden’s border policies as a “disaster” and called for increased scrutiny of immigrants.
“It also makes sense to hire people who have the kinds of values that align with our values,” Fetterman explained. “This is not about free speech. This is about mobilizing people who want to assimilate and want to build their lives in our country, who want to be part of a destructive force in our nation.”
