Ted Cruz asked if he'd 'fellate another man' during Yale Q&A
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sputtered before answering a risqué question during a Q&A session at Yale University on Monday, Mediaite reports.
"Assuming that it would end global hunger, would you fellate another man?" the questioner asked. Mediaite referred to the questioner as a student. In the video, he identifies himself as "Evan" after approaching the microphone during a live taping of the podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz.
Cruz seemed to choke on his words before co-host Michael Knowles — who graduated from Yale in 2012 — said, "Well, actually, so, I do have an answer to this."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cruz appeared relieved. "Alright, I actually think it is better that the Yalie answer this."
"Like a typical left-wing undergraduate, you are engaging in consequentialist ethics," Knowles said, grinning. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges the morality of an action based on its consequences. It is the opposite of deontology, which posits that certain actions are inherently wrong and therefore never justified.
"You are attempting to justify, flagrantly immoral behavior to achieve a good end," Knowles continued. "And I tell you, my friend, the ends do not justify the means — absolutely, absolutely not."
At this point, Cruz finally rose to the challenge. "I am curious, with that young fellow: If it would solve world hunger, would you vote for Donald Trump?" he asked. Co-host Liz Wheeler, along with several members of the crowd, burst out laughing.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Syria’s Kurds: abandoned by their US allyTalking Point Ahmed al-Sharaa’s lightning offensive against Syrian Kurdistan belies his promise to respect the country’s ethnic minorities
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
5 highly hypocritical cartoons about the Second AmendmentCartoons Artists take on Kyle Rittenhouse, the blame game, and more
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
