Ted Cruz became the target of widespread mockery after attempting to give a hot take about a cold one - as Republicans continue to push false claims that the Biden administration is looking to limit Americans to two beers a day.
The Texas senator appeared on Newsmax on Wednesday night with a beer in hand and asked: “What is it with liberals and wanting to control every damn aspect of your life?”
He criticized the Biden administration for looking into gas stoves and then ceiling fans, before landing on proposed alcohol consumption guidelines.
“If they want us to drink two beers a week, frankly they can kiss my a**,” Mr Cruz remarked as he popped the beer open and took a swig.
The criticism comes after Dr George Koob, the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told the Daily Mail last week that the US’s alcohol consumption guidelines could change in 2025.
As it currently stands, the 2020-2025 Guidelines for Americans recommends that men consume two drinks or less per day and women consume one drink or less.
Dr Koob told the outlet, “I mean, they’re not going to go up, I’m pretty sure…So, if [alcohol consumption guidelines] go in any direction, it would be toward Canada.”
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction says the risk of harm from alcohol is low if individuals consume two drinks or less per week.
The US’s guidelines are currently under review, but they are by no means set in stone, the Daily Mail reported. When White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked by a Fox News reporter about the potential prohibition of more than two drinks per week she laughed and asked, “Where is this coming from?”
“Let me tell you what I’m not going to get involved in, in that question right there,” she said. “I have no idea, I’ve not seen the data. I cannot speak to this. I will leave it to the experts.”
Mr Cruz has been a leading voice in the misleading GOP uproar over a potential change to the alcohol consumption recommendations.
He previously told Fox News: “Democrats are trying to control every aspect of your life. We saw this especially during Covid and it’s continued throughout the Biden administration. All it’s done is erode trust in public health bureaucrats.”
“Truly the phoniest person alive,” one user wrote, while another called him a “drama queen.” A third wrote: “Calm down Ted. Nobody’s coming for your beer.”
“This is absolutely the most Ted Cruz thing I have seen since he was trying not to be filmed in the airport to Cancun,” another joked.
Yet another critic wrote, in reference to former President Donald Trump: “The Biden admin also do not recommend looking directly at the sun.”
“Find someone who protects you like Ted and Republicans once again shamelessly pretends they’re protecting their base from threats that don’t exist,” another sarcastically commented.
Another user asked, “Term limits for Congress?”
One user pointed out some irony in Mr Cruz’s opinion: “So you must support a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body. What a great way to take a stand against conservatives who want to control everything.”
Other members of the Republican party have chimed in with similar claims, accusing President Biden of planning to limit Americans’ alcohol consumption. Mr Biden does not drink alcohol.
Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett, also a teetotaller, said: “This is what happens when 30 million Americans don’t vote. Overpaid unelected bureaucrats sticking their fat noses somewhere it does not belong. I am a non-drinker, but this is ridiculous. If they want to look at abuse, look at the spending in Washington and the overreach by the White House.”
Iowa senator Joni Ernst also called out Dr Koob, writing: “Another Biden ‘czar’ – this one wants to take away Americans’ beer. Absurd.”
