Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) lashed out at the left in a scathing Twitter post, after athlete Gwen Berry turned away from the U.S. flag while the national anthem was playing.
In a Sunday post, Sen. Cruz, who regularly rails against liberals on social media, shared an article by The Athletic that reported on Berry’s decision to face away from the flag on Saturday when she placed third for the hammer throw to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
He added: “Why does the Left hate America? Sure, we have our faults, but no nation in the history of the world has liberated more people from captivity, has lifted more out of poverty, has bled more for freedom, or has blessed more w/ abundance.
“God bless America.”
As of Monday morning, Sen. Cruz’s Twitter post had been liked more than 7,600 times and was retweeted on 1,100 occasions.
Why does the Left hate America?
Sure, we have our faults, but no nation in the history of the world has liberated more people from captivity, has lifted more out of poverty, has bled more for freedom, or has blessed more w/ abundance.
God bless America. https://t.co/7hH1FMzEn0
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 28, 2021
Hammer thrower Berry, 31, said she believed the timing of the anthem on Saturday was “a set-up” and shared her anger with reporters who attended the Olympic trials.
According to The Associated Press, Berry said: “I was pissed, to be honest.”
On Sunday, Berry shared a photo of her turning away from the flag on Twitter and captioned it: “Stop playing with me.”
The picture also shows winner DeAnna Price and second-placed Brooke Andersen facing the flag with their hands placed over their hearts.
Berry subsequently turned to face the stands and later placed a black T-shirt that said “Activist Athlete” on her head as the anthem continued, according to the report.
The outlet added that the Star-Spangled Banner doesn’t usually play during medal ceremonies at the trial. But, it said the hammer throwers were given their awards at the start of the evening session, which all started with a recorded version of the national anthem.
According to the Associated Press, Berry said: “They were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there.
“But I don’t really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important. The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has.”
Berry has previously voiced her issues with what she called injustice in the U.S. and notably raised her hand in protest at the end of the national anthem during the award ceremony at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Speaking to USA Today Sports in 2019, Berry explained her reasons behind the protest and added: “Somebody has to talk about the things that are too uncomfortable to talk about.
“Somebody has to stand for all of the injustices that are going on in America and a president who’s making it worse. It’s too important to not say something. Something has to be said.
“If nothing is said, nothing will be done, and nothing will be fixed and nothing will be changed.”
Newsweek has contacted Sen. Cruz, Berry and Team USA for comment.
Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images
