Ted Cruz implies the US military is too 'woke' and 'emasculated' to compete with Russia

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz retweeted a TikTok comparing a Russian Army commercial with a US Army commercial.
While the Russian ad was rife with masculine tropes, the US ad was the animated story of a service member with two moms.
Cruz said that in comparing the two military ads, "perhaps a woke and emasculated military is not the best idea."
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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called the US military "woke" and "emasculated" compared to Russia's military in a tweet on Thursday.

Cruz based his criticism on a TikTok video comparing a Russian recruitment ad with a US Army commercial spot. While Russia's ad featured moody lighting and buff, shirtless men writing in the dirt, the US Army clip offered an animated telling of the life of US Army Corporal Emma Malonelord, who was raised by a lesbian couple in San Francisco.

Insider reached out to Cruz's office for additional comment on the tweet.

-Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 20, 2021

"After graduating high school at the top of my class, and after meeting with an Army recruiter, I found it: A way to prove my inner strength," Mannelord says in the clip.

Malonelord is one of five military members featured in the Army's newest commercial series featuring a diverse array of recruits. The series, dubbed "The Calling," aims at sharing "a rich tapestry of stories that represent the diverse upbringings and life experiences that make up today's Army," according to a US Army press release.

Cruz never served in the military. During a 2015 interview with CNBC's John Harwood, he said that he had "considered it many times" but had never enlisted. "I will say it's something I always regretted. I wished I had spent time in the service. It's something I respect immensely."

Nevertheless, he's spoken out on his opinions on women joining the service in the past. In 2o16, while running for reelection, he said he thought women serving in combat roles in the military was "nuts" and that it was simply "political correctness run amok."

Insider has reached out to the US Army for comment.

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