Ted Cruz claims law ‘doesn’t mean anything’ to Democrats - but there’s one small problem

Texas senator Ted Cruz - of poorly timed trips to Cancun infamy – has once again found himself the subject of social media ridicule this week, as he reacted to Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York mayoral election by making one bizarre claim about the Democrats and the 2028 presidential race.

Democratic socialist Mamdani beat independent candidate Andrew Cuomo (who had already lost to him when it came to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination) and the Republican Party’s Curtis Sliwa in the election held on Tuesday.

Speaking to Fox Business following Mamani’s victory, Cruz said: “I think right now, the two frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2028 are AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and Mamdani.

“He’s not even eligible, but what do they care? Law doesn’t mean anything to them. That’s where their party is.”

That’s despite polling in New Hampshire, published last month, putting former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg as the top choice for that state’s primary – the first vote of the 2028 cycle.

Buttigieg had 19 per cent of voters, with California governor Gavin Newsom second with 15 per cent and New York representative AOC just behind him with 14 per cent.

But perhaps more importantly, many Twitter/X users have pointed out the fact that Trump has long pondered an unconstitutional third term in 2028:

“It’s Trump who wants to defy the constitution and run for a third term,” commented journalist Mehdi Hasan, adding that Mamdani – who is ineligible to run for president because he is not a “natural born citizen” – told him “explicitly” that he “will never try and run for president”:

Another account compared the extent of conversations by Democrats around Mamdani running for president against the “numerous Republicans” who have suggested Trump should go for a third term in three years’ time:

Indeed, Republican representative Andy Ogles pushed for a third term for Trump back in August, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has claimed “you can drive a Mack truck through the 22nd amendment”.

Oh, and there’s also the time when Trump sold ‘Trump 2028’ hats, and comments from Trump just last week in which he said he would "love to do" a third term.

As for AOC, it was reported in September that the congresswoman’s team has been positioning the progressive politician to either run for president or the Senate.

However, Ocasio-Cortez brushed aside speculation back in April when she said people “should be most concerned about Republicans cutting people’s healthcare”.

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