GOP pundit baffles with 'ridiculous' defense of Ted Cruz: 'Excuse me, what?'

A conservative pundit's defense of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his speech from the GOP midterm convention sparked uproar and confusion on CNN.

During a Thursday night roundtable, National Review writer Noah Rothman tried to defend Cruz after the pundits around him were alarmed by the senator's comments about Muslims. Cruz went after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and said "communists and Islamists" are invading the Democratic Party.

Former Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera argued that Republicans like Cruz are scared by Mamdani's "overwhelming success" and how he's "defying all of the pundits, all of the inside crowd."

Rothman denied the claim and went back to arguments by Republicans to urge against shutting down rhetoric that sounds the alarm on terrorists and Islamists. He slammed Democrats who are "muddying the waters" about who is a terrorist. The conversation also came in the context of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which was frequently invoked during the GOP midterm convention as well.

"We all have to be clear about who the terrorists were," Rothman said. "And shame on those who are saying the terrorists and heroes are one and the same, which Mamdani said."

"Hold on a second," cut in CNN anchor Abby Phillip, the roundtable's moderator. "I think you're the one muddying the waters, Noah. Terrorists are terrorists. I'm asking why Ted Cruz and you seem to want to make an entire religion anti-American."

Rothman accused Phillip of "putting words into my mouth," and coming back to Cruz, said, "I can't say it enough. The people who support radical Islamist violence are the people he's talking about."

"He didn't say 'radical Islamist violence,'" Phillip pointed out. "He said 'Islamism.'"

Rothman argued that confirmed his defense of Cruz, and Phillip asked, "You're saying radical Islamic terrorism and Islamism is the same thing? Excuse me, what? That is a ridiculous argument, Noah. That is a ridiculous argument."