Ted Cruz Calling The New York Times a 'Leftist Rag' a 'Badge of Honor,' Says Times Reporter

April 2nd, 2015 1:34 PM

Several GOP presidential contenders have insulted The New York Times in recent days, but not with the vigor of Ted Cruz. Politico's Dylan Byers reported that in an interview with a St. Louis talk radio station on Tuesday, Cruz said Republicans shouldn't listen to "The New York Times and other leftist rags" when picking their presidential nominee.

Times Beijing bureau chief Edward Wong (Twitter handle "Comrade Wong") quickly proved the paper's liberal tilt by tweeting out that Cruz's attack on the leftist paper was a "badge of honor."

The insult should be unsurprising, since the Times has thrown cold water on the idea that Cruz has a serious chance to win:

Cruz's remark comes one week after former Florida governor Jeb Bush told Brian Kilmeade at Fox News Radio that "I don't read the New York Times."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also dismissed the Times at CPAC in February. "I don't care what they write about me in The New York Times, they can keep it," he said. "I don't subscribe."