Ted Cruz worked the phones for the GOP beneath Donald Trump-Mike Pence campaign posters ― and immediately sent internet users into overdrive.
Within minutes, The Dallas Morning News’ video of the gloomy Texas senator phone-banking for the Republican candidates from the party’s Fort Worth headquarters on Thursday became the election campaign’s best (and possibly saddest) meme.
Here's that video of #TedCruz working phone bank at GOP office in Fort Worth. This time with watermark for @dallasnews, the content owner. pic.twitter.com/7D4rTGcXJu
— G.J. McCarthy (@gjmccarthy) October 6, 2016
Cruz didn’t actually mention the name of his former presidential primary rival, whom he finally endorsed in September. Instead, he just urged the person he was calling to “come out and vote on election day.”
But that didn’t stop people from screen grabbing an image of Cruz looking at his most dejected and poking fun at him for seemingly advocating for Trump, who has previously insulted the senator’s wife and repeatedly insinuated that his father helped to assassinate former President John F. Kennedy.
Here are some of the best interpretations of the footage we’ve seen so far:
stranger things indeed pic.twitter.com/Ck9fgK4Xds
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) October 6, 2016
Call 911. Ted Cruz is being held hostage pic.twitter.com/GE2QMAWSiM
— Marcus Wells (@MarcusWells_) October 6, 2016
*record scratch, freeze frame*
— Brandt (@UrbanAchievr) October 6, 2016
Yup. That's me. You might be wondering how I ended up here. pic.twitter.com/LTkx4dG6tS
"Hello, Ted Cruz from 2015? This is Ted Cruz from 2016. No wait, don't hang up, this is for real. I have something very imp -- Ted? TED?" pic.twitter.com/0tMZQso3sq
— Chris Taylor (@FutureBoy) October 6, 2016
Cruz Your Enthusiasm (Vine by @LoganJames) https://t.co/PrQUAq7FSF
— Bodie McBodeface (@reynolds_b) October 6, 2016
[extremely Ted Cruz voice] my conscience... pic.twitter.com/dnv1wwjnuo
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) October 6, 2016
When you pick up the phone, and it's Ted Cruz calling on behalf of Voldetrump. pic.twitter.com/Qy2icz4NW3
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) October 6, 2016
Here is Ted Cruz realizing that Donald Trump has set him on a two-restaurants-taking-each-others-orders prank call. pic.twitter.com/6kWzsExHOs
— Sam Wilkinson (@samwilkinson) October 6, 2016
CRUZ (covers phone): Do I have to?
— Daniel Lin (@DLin71) October 7, 2016
TRUMP: Say it
CRUZ (sighs, uncovers phone): Trump will focus on the border like my dad focused on JFK pic.twitter.com/KwmaXpou4c
"Hi, this is Ted Cruz ... Yes, Senator Ted Cruz ... ... Yes, he called me Lyin' Ted ... No, my father didn't murder JFK ..." pic.twitter.com/izX8yn8hIl
— Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) October 6, 2016
After losing his presidential bid, Ted Cruz settles as a telemarketer pic.twitter.com/JxftS7h4Sp
— Kelly Sater (@LazyBabyMama) October 6, 2016
"Hi, Ted Cruz, the fraud who claims to be a true con & pits GOP against each other to win elections. I'm calling asking you to vote Trump" pic.twitter.com/0IIUO17EIG
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) October 6, 2016
Ted Cruz cold calling for Trump may be the final humiliation, but it's not the first one. pic.twitter.com/gSg5IpS7KD
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) October 6, 2016
For a millisecond I actually feel sorry for Ted Cruz https://t.co/eY0fCsVh0O
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) October 6, 2016
"Just between us. I'm voting for Hillary" pic.twitter.com/UfJuzY2eXR
— andy lassner (@andylassner) October 6, 2016
"No ma'am, I'm not Ted Cruz. Yes ma'am, a lot of people say I sound like him. Ma'am, if I were Ted Cruz, would I be making calls for Trump?" pic.twitter.com/Vb4q3OGpTj
— (((Jeff Tiedrich))) (@jefftiedrich) October 6, 2016
That Ted Cruz phone banking thing looks like how the Onion would portray Ted Cruz right now.
— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) October 6, 2016
"For the hundredth time, he was nowhere near Dealey Plaza at the time, now do you need a ride to the polls or not?" pic.twitter.com/pi0AhCw3I1
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) October 7, 2016
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularlyincitespolitical violence and is a
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