Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently engaged in a Twitter debate regarding the history of their respective political parties, which ended with Cruz smashing Ocasio’s arguments to bits by highlighting the racist history of the Dems.

It started when Cruz commented on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issuing a travel advisory for Florida, accusing the state of devaluing and marginalizing African Americans and communities of color.

Cruz’s tweet prompted a response from a user accusing him of being against the voting rights act and the civil rights act in the 1950s and ’60s. Cruz swiftly countered by stating that the filibuster against those acts was led by Democrats, while Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act in higher percentages.

Nonsense. That shameful filibuster was led by Democrats—your party.

My party—the Republicans—proudly voted for the Civil Rights Act in much higher percentages than the racist Dems. https://t.co/MgPZZFTlak

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 23, 2023

AOC joined the conversation, challenging Cruz to explain what happened to the parties after that time. Cruz eagerly responded with a series of tweets outlining his version of events.

Why don’t you go ahead and tell people what happened to the parties after that, Ted https://t.co/fiJgIgVZHO

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 23, 2023

He told AOC that the Democratic Party founded the KKK, enacted Jim Crow laws, and filibustered the Civil Rights Act.

He also accused the modern Democratic Party of obstructing school choice, advocating for abolishing the police (resulting in more Black lives lost), and opposing his bill to prevent discrimination in schools due to vaccine mandates.

2/x – Today, the Dem part filibusters school choice—trapping millions of Black kids in failing schools.

– Today, the Dem party pushes abolishing the police, which results in many more Black lives murdered.

– Today, every Dem senator voted against my bill to stop DC from…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 23, 2023

4/x

– Today, we produced the lowest African-American unemployment EVER, under the Trump economic boom.

– Today, we produced the lowest African-American poverty levels EVER, under the Trump economic boom.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 23, 2023

Cruz then highlighted the Republican Party’s historical opposition to slavery, noting that Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, ended slavery and Republicans supported the Civil Rights Act.

6/x

– Also, just two years ago, the Dem governor of Virginia had put the photo of A MAN DRESSED AS A KKK KLANSMAN on his personal yearbook page.

– And today, the sitting Dem President—Joe Biden—gave in 2011 a flowery eulogy for an “Exalted Cyclops” of the KKK.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 23, 2023

He boasted about the achievements under the Trump administration, such as record-low African-American unemployment and poverty levels, as well as the expansion of federal school choice.

Cruz mentioned the scandal involving a Democratic governor of Virginia who had a photo of a person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit in his personal yearbook, and he criticized President Joe Biden for giving a eulogy for a former KKK member.

The Twitter exchange caught the attention of Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, who praised the spirited discussion for showcasing the platform’s unique and entertaining nature.

The kind of interaction that makes this platform so unique & entertaining!

🍿😀

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2023