Tucker Carlson just backed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) into a corner during a discussion about Israel and its conflict with Iran.
The former Fox News host dissected Cruz’s argument for America’s unyielding support for Israel as his guest explained how his commitment to the country was based on what he learned back in Sunday school.
“I was taught from the Bible, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed,” the senator said while appearing on an episode of Carlson’s show posted on Wednesday. “And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things.”
Cruz’s statement left Carlson with a few questions, like whether that verse was referring to the current government of Israel or if the Republican could even tell him what part of the Bible he was pulling from.
When Cruz was unable to find an answer off the top of his head, right-wing pundit Carlson reminded the senator he was cribbing from the book of Genesis and then wondered how Cruz could base his opinion on scripture he couldn’t even cite correctly.
“So you’re quoting a Bible phrase, you don’t have context for it,” Carlson said. “You don’t know where in the Bible it is, but that’s your theology? I’m confused. What does that even mean?”
Cruz got defensive as Carlson pushed him to define what he meant by Israel, be it the state’s current borders, its current leadership, a “political entity” or how it was defined in biblical times.
When Cruz settled on the term “nation,” Carlson straight up asked, “Is the nation God is referring to in Genesis, is that the same as the country run by Benjamin Netanyahu right now?”
Cruz and Carlson’s clash reflects a growing schism within the Republican Party, where “America First” isolationists like the commentator have found themselves at odds with Middle East war hawks like the senator.
The discussion came on the heels of Israel’s preemptive military strike on Iran last Thursday, a move that has forced President Donald Trump to weigh whether or not the U.S. will join its ally in its bombing campaign.
Watch the testy exchange right here:
