In the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) retorted after a British journalist taunted him, mocking “American exceptionalism.”
Cruz had finished a press conference at which Texas GOP governor Greg Abbott had spoken about the tragedy when the confrontation with Sky News’ Mark Stone occurred.
“Is this the moment to reform gun laws?” Stone asked Cruz.
“You know, it’s easy to go to politics,” Cruz answered.
Not mentioning other issues at play in mass shootings, such as mental illness, Stone insisted, “But it’s important. It’s at the heart of the issue.”
“I get that that’s where the media likes to go,” Cruz replied.
“But it’s not. It’s where many of the people we’ve talked to here like to go,” Stone claimed.
“The proposals from Democrats and the media inevitably, when some violent psychopath murders people —” Cruz began.
“A violent psychopath is able to get a weapon so easily,” Stone interjected. “Eighteen-year old with two AR-15s.”
“If you want to stop violent crime, the proposals the Democrats have — none of them would have stopped this,” Cruz pointed out.
Then Stone turned to attacking America: “But why does this only happen in your country? I really think that’s what many people around the world, just — they cannot fathom why only in America? Why is this American exceptionalism so awful?”
“You know, I’m sorry you think American exceptionalism is awful,” Cruz retorted.
“This aspect of it. This aspect of it,” Stone stated.
“You know what? You’ve got your political agenda. God love you,” Cruz said, walking away.
Stone followed, pressing, “I just want to understand why you do not think that guns are the problem,” then declared, “It is just an American problem, sir.”
A woman echoed. “Mr. Cruz, why is America the only country that faces this kind of mass shooting?”
Stone, excitedly, “You can’t answer that.” He repeated, “You can’t answer that. You can’t answer that, can you sir? You can’t answer that. “
Cruz, fed-up, retorted, “Why is it that people come from all over the world to America? Because it’s the freest, most prosperous, safest country on Earth. And stop being a propagandist.”
The idea that the United States leads the world in mass shootings has been disputed for years; in 2019, famed journalist John Stossel noted that the idea that the United States led the world in mass shootings might well be inaccurate, as shown here.