Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to media during a press conference on the Supreme Court with other Senate Republicans, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. (Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)

Texas Senator Ted Cruz took to Newsmax with some strong words about ceiling fan regulations and beer guidelines, culminating in a staged drinking protest that drew mixed reactions online.

Last week, President Biden’s alcohol czar stated in an interview that federal recommendations may soon lean towards caution. He said that the new rules, which will be released in 2025, might ask Americans to drink as little as two beers per week.

If implemented, the guidance would exist only on paper —  no legislation, just a new perspective. Despite this, the announcement has provoked much huffing and hawing about the tyrannies of federal government and our inevitable slide “toward Canada.”

On Wednesday night, Senator Cruz criticized the move on live TV, lumping the guidelines in alongside gas stove bans and local construction regulations. Surrounded by beer-toting onlookers, Cruz proclaimed: “Well, I gotta tell ya, if they want us to drink two beers a week, frankly, they can kiss my ass!”

In unison with the surrounding crowd, Cruz took a proud swig of Shiner Bock. The Newsmax host followed suit with a sip of non-alcoholic beer, seemingly anticipating the stunt.

Cruz went on to mention other politicized beer highlights, saying “I gotta say, have you ever seen a brand do more damage to itself than Bud Light, which single-handedly seemed to destroy itself.”

The moment quickly circulated across X, formerly Twitter, where users had some choice thoughts about the planned chug.

One commenter remarked, “guys please make sure to coordinate your sipping of beer when I take mine. the timing will make the shot, I promise.”

Another opined, “there’s a senate staffer out there whose job today was to pop open that shiner and put the cap back on so cruz could stage a twist off.”

Drinking alcohol (and the lack thereof) has become a hot-button issue within Cruz’s talking points over the past few months.

In June, Cruz organized the charge to boycott Bud Light after the company partnered with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a one-off advertisement. Alongside Tennessee Senator Masha Blackburn, he accused Anheuser-Busch of breaching guidelines by “intentionally advertising to minors.” The Beer Insitute’s Code Compliance Review Board later dismissed the complaint.

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