Ted Cruz Applauds John Fetterman Standing Against Antisemitism in His Own Party [WATCH]

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., found rare bipartisan agreement Tuesday as they jointly condemned antisemitism during an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” following the deadly Dec. 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, as reported by Fox News.

The two senators appeared together on the program hosted by Sean Hannity, where Cruz publicly praised Fetterman for confronting antisemitism within his own party.

“I just want to commend John Fetterman for the courage he’s served… he’s shown extraordinary courage calling out antisemitism in his own party. And he’s done so at considerable cost to himself,” Cruz said during the interview.

Their discussion centered on the Bondi Beach shooting, which occurred as roughly 1,000 people gathered at Australia’s most popular beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Authorities say the attack left 15 people dead and 42 others hospitalized, including two police officers.

Reports indicate that one of the victims was a Holocaust survivor.

“What we saw on Bondi Beach was the latest manifestation of this evil, and this evil is spreading. This hatred of Israel. This hatred of Jews,” Cruz said.

“They [Jews] can’t even celebrate, you know, one of their holidays without getting gunned down and mowed and targeted,” Fetterman added.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Fetterman described the attack as a “horrific massacre” and stressed that antisemitism is an issue Democrats must directly address. Cruz agreed, condemning the violence in strong terms.

“It is grotesque, it is evil, and it is dangerous, and we need to stand up and front it,” Cruz said.

New South Wales police confirmed that two suspects, identified as a father and son, were taken into custody following the attack.

The father, 50, later died, while his 24-year-old son remains hospitalized with injuries. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was motivated by “Islamic State ideology.”

Cruz echoed that assessment during the interview.

“Radical Islamic terrorism, they are at war with us,” Cruz told Fox News. “This is their objective. There’s evidence that this father-son duo of murderers were [sic] affiliated with ISIS.”

Authorities also credited Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim man, with disarming one of the attackers.

Video of Ahmed wrestling a firearm away from the gunman circulated widely online. Albanese later referred to Ahmed as an “Australian hero.”

Ahmed, you are an Australian hero.

You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist.

In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday night.

On behalf of every Australian, I… pic.twitter.com/mAoObU3TZD

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 16, 2025

In the aftermath of the shooting, Israeli officials sharply criticized the Australian government for what they described as failures to protect Jewish communities amid a surge in antisemitic incidents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack on X by revealing that he had previously warned Albanese about rising antisemitism.

“I told him: ‘Your policy encourages terrorism. It encourages antisemitism,’” Netanyahu wrote.

I told him: ‘Your policy encourages terrorism. It encourages antisemitism. You call for a Palestinian state, and you are essentially giving a prize to Hamas for the terrible massacre they carried out on October 7th.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 14, 2025

The senators also discussed foreign policy, expressing agreement with President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities during his second term.

“The single most important foreign policy decision President Trump has made in the second term was the decision to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities,” Cruz said.

“When the Ayatollah chants death to America, I believe him,” Cruz added.

“The president as commander-in-chief has an obligation to keep the American people safe, and allowing the Ayatollah to acquire a nuclear weapon that he could use to murder thousands or even millions of Americans was an unacceptable risk.”

Fetterman called the strike “absolutely” appropriate.

“I believe I was the only Democrat that was actually calling for and fully supported bombing the Iranian nuclear facility,” Fetterman said.

The conversation concluded with domestic concerns, including rising antisemitic incidents in the United States.

Fetterman criticized former President Joe Biden’s border policies, calling them a “disaster,” and argued for stricter immigration vetting.

“It’s also reasonable to bring in people that have the kinds of values that are compatible with our values,” Fetterman said.

“That is not about free speech. That’s about bringing on the people that want to assimilate, and they want to build their lives in our country, not becoming part of a destructive force in our nation.”

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