Texas Senator Ted Cruz is yet again facing controversy after social media users resurfaced one of his old posts criticizing sub-$4 gas prices under former President Joe Biden, just days after Cruz proudly highlighted nearly $4-per-gallon gas prices in Texas while attacking California Governor Gavin Newsom. Cruz’s original post and the replies highlighting his past criticisms have since sparked widespread accusations of hypocrisy.
The controversy erupted after Cruz posted a photo on X showing gas priced at $3.99 per gallon at a Texas Chevron station. In the post, Cruz mocked Newsom and California’s energy policies, writing, “Just filled my tank. In Texas, gas is $3.99 a gallon. Hey Gavin, the problem isn’t Chevron, it’s California’s stupid energy policies…”
Cruz’s message came amid rising fuel costs nationwide following escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. According to AAA, the national average for gas has climbed above $4.50 per gallon, while California prices have surged past $6 in some areas. But critics quickly pointed out that Cruz had sharply condemned gas prices years earlier when they were significantly lower.
Several X accounts resurfaced a November 2022 post from Cruz in which he blasted Biden over gas prices hitting $3.68 per gallon during the Thanksgiving travel season. At the time, Cruz wrote, “This isn’t just the most expensive Thanksgiving meal to date, Americans will also pay the most at the pump.” The comparison immediately went viral, with many users accusing Cruz of changing his standards depending on who occupies the White House.
People online are not letting off Cruz easily
Cruz has thus invited some scathing discourse in the very thread he started. “Look at this hypocrite,” one user wrote, while another mocked the senator for “bragging about $4 gas.” A separate Reddit commenter added, “Dude is so out of touch.”
The exchange intensified an ongoing feud between Cruz and Newsom over energy policy and the causes of rising fuel costs. Newsom had recently urged Californians to avoid Chevron stations, accusing major oil companies of profiting from what he called “Trump’s Iran War.” Chevron, meanwhile, has clapped back against California politicians, blaming them for the higher gas prices.
Newsom’s press office later fired back at Cruz with a sarcastic post claiming the senator had overpaid for gas by choosing Chevron instead of a nearby Costco. The statement also blamed the recent spike in prices on geopolitical tensions and accused oil companies of exploiting consumers. Cruz didn’t exactly get the reaction he supposedly wanted, with some even condemning his party, “I hope it becomes 10 a gallon. These [expletive] voted to hurt people, then let them hurt themselves.”
