Skip to main content

Ted Cruz: Don’t be complacent about ‘radical Islamic terror’ on Sept. 11

September 11, 2015

WASHINGTON–Sen. Ted Cruz said he wants you to do more than honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on their 14th anniversary.

"[It] should be more than a day of reflection and remembrance," said Cruz in a statement distributed by his presidential campaign. "It should be an opportunity to resolve that we will not allow political correctness or complacency to lull us into the same false sense of security that al Qaida exploited fourteen years ago."

Cruz, like many Americans, expressed his gratitude to the victims and first responders of Sept. 11, and the soldiers who fought in the following wars.

But he also insisted Americans shouldn't balk at calling out "radical Islamic terrorism," something he routinely criticizes President Barack Obama for doing.

"We owe it to the memory of those whose lives were lost to squarely face the ongoing, virulent threat of radical Islamic terrorism, unafraid to call it what it is," said Cruz in the statement, citing the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the Boston Marathon bombings and the recent attack in Chattanooga that killed four Marines and sailor.

It's a familiar refrain from Cruz. During the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, the audience raved when he insisted "we will not defeat radical Islamic terrorism so long as we have a president unwilling to utter the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.'"

Cruz's 2016 rivals mainly focused on remembrance.

"Today my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the terrible attacks 14 years ago. America will not, and must not, ever forget," tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., another Republican presidential candidate.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush urged his Twitter followers to remember Sept. 11 victims and troops, along with the four Americans killed in the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did the same, while encouraging Americans to "remain firm in this fight" against "radical Islamic terrorism."

And Cruz's fellow Texans also focused on the victims, first responders and armed forces.

"While New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia felt the immediate physical impact, Texans and the entire country joined in feeling the pain and anguish of that day together," said Sen. John Cornyn in a statement. "In the face of adversity, Americans come together. And every moment since that fateful day, we have only grown stronger."

"From the passengers on Flight 93 to the brave men and women in uniform who remain abroad, our nation has defied those who attempted to break our spirit," said Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, in a statement.

And Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, said "we will always remember the heartbreak."

"We still mourn with the families who lost a loved one in this cowardly act of terror," said Conaway in a statement. "The heartbreak that struck our nation on September 11th will never fade away."