Ted Cruz humiliated Tim Kaine to his face on the Senate floor

The U.S. Senate is in an uproar. Republicans and Democrats are at each other’s throats.

Now Ted Cruz humiliated Tim Kaine to his face on the Senate floor.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) delivered a blistering takedown of Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) during a Senate hearing, exposing the Democrat’s dangerous misunderstanding of America’s core principles. Kaine had the audacity to call it “extremely troubling” that Riley Barnes, President Trump’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, affirmed that rights come from God, not governments.

Cruz, a staunch defender of constitutional values, rightly dismantled Kaine’s argument, proving that America’s foundation rests on the truth that our rights are God-given, not handouts from bureaucrats. This clash shows why Cruz is a vital voice for patriots fighting to preserve the nation’s soul.

Kaine’s attack targeted Barnes, a former State Department official, for agreeing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement: “that all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our Creator; not from our laws, not from our governments.”

Kaine, in a stunning display of ignorance, claimed this view aligns with theocratic regimes like Iran, saying, “The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities.” His comparison is not just wrong—it’s an insult to America’s founding.

Cruz didn’t let Kaine’s nonsense slide. “I just walked into the hearing as he was saying that, and I almost fell out of my chair, because that ‘radical and dangerous notion’ — in his words — is literally the founding principle upon which the United States of America was created,” Cruz fired back.

Quoting Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, he added, “‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator’ — not by government, not by the Democratic National Committee, but by God — ‘with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’” Cruz’s razor-sharp response exposed Kaine’s disconnect from the principles that define America.

Our rights don’t come from government or the DNC.

They come from God. @timkaine, I suggest the Dems go back and read the words of our Founding Fathers. pic.twitter.com/QRmhTcbbOH

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 3, 2025

Kaine’s claim that rights come from laws, not God, is a direct assault on the Declaration, the bedrock of American liberty. He doubled down, arguing, “I think the motto over the Supreme Court is ‘equal justice under law,’ — the oath that you and I take pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, not arbitrarily defined natural rights.” This betrays a worldview that sees government as the ultimate authority, a dangerous stance that aligns more with statist regimes than with America’s founding. Cruz is right to call this out—rights are not government handouts to be tweaked or revoked by politicians like Kaine.

The Declaration of Independence, penned in 1776, explicitly states that our rights are unalienable because they come from our Creator, not fleeting laws. This principle sets America apart, ensuring liberty isn’t subject to the whims of bureaucrats or tyrants. Cruz’s defense of Barnes taps into this truth, reminding Americans that their freedoms are sacred, not gifts from Washington elites. Kaine’s attempt to equate this with Iran’s theocracy is absurd—America’s belief in God-given rights protects individual liberty, while Iran’s regime uses religion to oppress. Cruz rightly exposed this false equivalence.

Kaine’s attack is part of a leftist push to erode America’s foundational values. Democrats have long sought to replace the idea of unalienable rights with a system where government grants privileges, revocable at will. This mindset fuels their obsession with control—think vaccine mandates or speech restrictions on X, where posts like @LibertyDefender’s on August 15, 2025, note Democrats’ push to censor dissent as “protecting democracy.” Cruz’s stand for God-given rights is a bulwark against this creeping statism.

Barnes, as a Trump nominee, embodies the America First ethos that Cruz champions. His agreement with Rubio’s statement reflects a commitment to defending liberty as a divine gift, not a government favor.

This aligns with the values of millions who support Trump’s agenda to restore America’s greatness. Cruz’s defense of Barnes is a defense of every patriot who believes our rights are non-negotiable.

The Left’s discomfort with God-given rights stems from their fear of anything beyond their control. Kaine’s invocation of Iran is a desperate smear, ignoring that America’s founders—like Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin—grounded liberty in a Creator to protect against tyranny.

Cruz, a constitutional scholar, knows this history and rightly schooled Kaine for missing it. The Declaration’s words aren’t just rhetoric; they’re a firewall against government overreach.

Kaine’s claim that rights come from laws aligns with a progressive agenda that’s been dismantling America’s foundations for decades. From expanding federal power to pushing activist judges who rewrite the Constitution, Democrats want a system where they hold the reins. Cruz’s fierce rebuttal shows why he’s a hero to the Right Populist movement—unafraid to confront those who’d trade liberty for control.

The hearing wasn’t just about Barnes; it was a battle over America’s soul. Kaine’s vision—where rights are government-granted—leads to a future where freedoms can be stripped away by whoever holds power. Cruz’s defense of God-given rights ensures that no politician, no matter how powerful, can touch what the Creator bestowed. This is why he’s right: America thrives when liberty is sacred, not subject to Kaine’s whims.

Cruz’s record proves his commitment to these principles. From fighting Obama’s overreach to defending Trump’s agenda, he’s consistently stood for limited government and individual freedom. His 2013 filibuster against Obamacare and his 2025 push to codify Trump’s border policies show a man who lives by the Declaration’s truths. Kaine’s attack on Barnes is an attack on this legacy.

The Left’s push to redefine rights as government gifts has real consequences. Look at the 2020 lockdowns, where Democrat-run states trampled free speech and religion under the guise of “public health.” X posts like @FreeAmericaNow’s on July 10, highlight how these policies crushed small businesses while elites thrived. Cruz’s stand protects against such abuses by rooting rights in something higher than government.

Barnes’s nomination, backed by Cruz and Rubio, is a win for patriots who want leaders grounded in American values. Kaine’s fear-mongering about “theocracy” is a distraction from his party’s own power grabs. Cruz rightly called him out, showing that the real threat isn’t God-given rights—it’s politicians like Kaine who think they can dictate them.

As 2026 looms, Cruz’s leadership will rally voters fed up with elitist nonsense. His defense of Barnes proves he’s a fighter for the principles that made America great. Kaine’s blunder at the hearing handed Cruz a platform to remind Americans: our rights come from God, not government, and no Democrat can change that.