Watch Ted Cruz tell a nasty joke about Joe Biden
Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has a snarky joke about Vice President Joe Biden incorporated into his presidential campaign's stump speech.
It goes like this: "Joe Biden." That's it.
Cruz explained the zinger while speaking before a conservative New Hampshire group last Friday. Video of his speech was
by the right-leaning blog Granite Grok.
"Vice President Joe Biden," Cruz said, pausing. "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punchline."
Cruz urged his audience to try his joke for themselves at a social gathering.
"The next time you go to a party, just walk up to somebody. Say, 'Vice President Joe Biden.' And close your mouth. They will crack up laughing," he promised.
Biden, who says he's looking at , is well known for his . Last month, he drew headlines by suggesting his friendship with Wilmington, Delaware, cab drivers was symbolic of his great relationship with the broader Somali-American community.
However, Cruz decided to needle Biden for suggesting warning shots from a shotgun are .
"Vice President Joe Biden said, 'If anyone attacks your house, just go outside with a double-barreled shotgun and fire both barrels in the air. Now, that is very, very good advice," Cruz said, again pausing for effect, "if it so happens that you're being attacked by a flock of geese."
Update (1:54 p.m.): A Biden source told Business Insider that Cruz is already breaking
to avoid negative campaigning. The source pointed to Cruz's Sunday appearance on CNN. "There may be other candidates who choose to throw rocks in my direction," Cruz said in the interview, according to Politico. "I'm not going to engage in the personal mudslinging."
Watch Cruz's full speech below. (His Biden jokes begin about 15 minutes in.)
NOW WATCH:
Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Recommended For You
Recommended For You
Get Politics Emails & Alerts
Latest Research
Read Business Insider On The Go
Find A Job
Thanks to our partners
Powered by
Stock quotes by
International Editions:Ted Cruz Walks Away When Reporter Confronts Him About Joe Biden Joke
AP Photo / Matthew Putney
June 4, 2015,
6:54 AM EDT
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) apologized late Wednesday for making a joke about Vice President Joe Biden as he prepares to bury his son Beau, who died of brain cancer.
"Vice President Joe Biden," Cruz said at a Livingston County Republican dinner in Howell, Mich., according to the . "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punch line."
"I promise you it works," the senator continued. "The next party you're at, just walk up to someone and say, 'Vice President Joe Biden' and just close your mouth. They will crack up laughing."
Shortly after his speech ended, Cruz issued a statement apologizing for the joke.
"It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize," Cruz said in a . "The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the Vice President and his family."
After Cruz made the joke about Biden during his speech, he referenced a
Biden made in 2013. While explaining that people do not need automatic weapons to defend themselves, the Vice President said, "If you want to protect yourself, get a double-barrel shotgun."
"That is very, very good advice — if it so happens that you're being attacked by a flock of geese," Cruz said on Wednesday.
When Cruz was asked by a Detroit News reporter why he made a joke about Biden, the senator walked away.
When I asked
"why'd you tell a joke about the vice president tonight?" the Texas senator turned and walked away.
— Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood)
Watch Cruz's remarks about Biden courtesy of the Democratic-affiliated opposition research group American Bridge 21st Century:
It looks like the Dropkick Murphys have found a politician they like. The Boston-based&
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Saturday criticized President Obama&
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Friday night touted his role as a&
Sarah Palin on Friday backed up her daughter Bristol's attack on President Obama for&
Stephen Colbert opened "The Late Show" on Friday by explaining Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT)&
Already have an account?}