White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded Thursday to the news that Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) had referred to her as “Peppermint Patty” — the “Peanuts” character — and had reportedly encouraged people to boo her.
“Senator Ted Cruz is speaking at CPAC, and you came up,” a reporter began.
“Oh?” Psaki responded.
“He called you quote/unquote ‘Peppermint Patty’ and has encouraged people to boo you,” the reporter continued, pressing Psaki for her reaction.
“Don’t tell him I like Peppermint Patty, so I’m not going to take it too offensively,” Psaki replied with a smile, prompting laughter from the press corps.
“Senator Cruz, I Like Peppermint Patty,” Psaki repeated, adding, “I’m a little tougher than that, but there you go.”
WATCH:
WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) calling her “Peppermint Patty” at CPAC:
“I like Peppermint Patty, so I’m not gonna take it too offensively … I’m a little tougher than that.” pic.twitter.com/dOoHnFRAcY
— The Recount (@therecount) February 24, 2022
Cruz, speaking from the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), was delivering remarks about government infringement of liberty, and he mentioned Psaki’s call from the White House podium for podcast platform Spotify to do “more” to prevent popular host Joe Rogan from spreading “misinformation” about the COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics.
“Why is our liberty so under assault? Because giant corporations, giant tech, giant government — they work together, hand in hand. You look at what happened with Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan — Jen Psaki —” Cruz paused for a moment and seemed to be waiting for a reaction from the audience.
“Oh, come on! Jen Psaki doesn’t get the Justin Trudeau treatment?” Cruz asked, apparently referencing a previous mention of the Canadian Prime Minister, and the audience responded with a loud chorus of “boos.”
“All right!” Cruz responded, adding, “You know, Peppermint Patty deserves some love.”
The audience laughed, and Cruz picked up where his remarks had left off.
“Jen Psaki, from the White House podium, said, ‘Uh, Billionaires, oh, Billionaires in Silicon Valley! Please silence that pesky Rogan guy,’” Cruz continued. “There’s a pattern of government asking big tech to silence dissent.”
Ted Cruz calls White House press secretary Jen Psaki "Peppermint Patty" from the CPAC stage.
"Oh, come on! Jen Psaki doesn't get the Justin Trudeau treatment?"
[crowd obediently boos]
"All right! Peppermint Patty deserves some love!" pic.twitter.com/0xW286CSv6
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) February 24, 2022
Cruz went on to tie in the Canadian trucker protest — and the fact that Prime Minister Trudeau’s government had begun the crackdown by calling on fundraising platforms like GoFundMe to cut off their funding — arguing that it was no different from Psaki’s request to Spotify.
As The Daily Wire reported:
“Well, last July, I, you probably know, but the Surgeon General also took the unprecedented step to issue an advisory on the risk of misinformation in public health, which is a very significant step,” Psaki said. “And amid that, he talked about the role social media platforms have, so our hope is that all major tech platforms, and all major news sources for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19. That certainly includes Spotify.”
“So this disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation and disinformation will also uplifting, accurate information,” she continued, later adding: “But ultimately, you know, our view is it’s a, it’s a, it’s a good step. It’s a positive step, but there’s more that can be done.”