Texas senator Ted Cruz says becoming American is the 'greatest gift we can give to anyone on Planet Earth'
- Last updated: January 9, 2026 | 13:22 ..
Ted Cruz has claimed that making someone an American “is the greatest gift anyone could wish for” and everyone has thoughts.
Amid the US abducting Venezuela’s president and making repeated noises about its desire to annex Greenland – the autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark – Texas senator Cruz has made some rather pointed remarks.
The Republican senator appeared to be doing his best to justify a potential landgrab by the US by suggesting that it would be a gift, actually.
Speaking on the subject of Greenland, Cruz said: “I find it quite plausible that the Greenlanders, there’s about 50,000 of them, would say, ‘Wait a second, I get to be an American?’ ... To become an American is in many ways the greatest gift we can give anyone on planet Earth.”
But, while Cruz may think that becoming an American is a “gift” that people would be happy to have bestowed upon them, many others had the direct opposite thought.
“Can anyone say with a straight face that Greenlanders would do better under America than Denmark? The first thing we would do is take away their healthcare,” an American said.
Another said: “I just fled the US. And the timing couldn't have been better.”
Someone else said: “There is nothing I would want less than to be American.”
One person pointed out: “And this idea – that a takeover would be a gift – has been the basis of colonialism for centuries.”
“Free healthcare and education, 25 paid vacation days per year, higher minimum wages, crime rates a fraction of that of the US, no school or any other kind of shootings, 52 weeks of paid maternity leave, higher life expectancy, excellent food safety standards.
“Should I go on?” another commented.
Another asked: “Why would this revolting slug imagine people want to live like him?”
Someone else said: “You could not *pay* me to be American right now. Literally. You could not pay me. No sum of money is worth it.”
In response to the perceived threat by the US, European leaders and allies released a joint statement backing Denmark on Greenland.
The Independent