Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted a CNN analyst over her comments about a pilot who allegedly said “Let’s Go Brandon.”
According to The Associated Press, “The line has become conservative code for something far more vulgar: ‘F—- Joe Biden.’ It’s all the rage among Republicans wanting to prove their conservative credentials, a not-so-secret handshake that signals they’re in sync with the party’s base.”
A video surfaced over the weekend reportedly showing a pilot saying the phrase at the end of an announcement.
The analyst, Asha Rangappa, responded in a tweet, saying, “As an experiment, I’d love for an [SouthwestAir] pilot to say ‘Long live ISIS’ before taking off. My guess is that 1) the plane would be immediately grounded; 2) the pilot fired; and 3) a statement issued by the airline within a matter of hours.”
Cruz replied, “[CNN] is deranged. And no, as a factual matter, supporting genocidal religious zealots is not the same as disagreeing with the current President.”
.@cnn is deranged.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 31, 2021
And no, as a factual matter, supporting genocidal religious zealots is not the same as disagreeing with the current President. https://t.co/bOM7ptYULS
Southwest issued a statement Sunday addressing the incident.
“The Southwest team takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, safe and respectful environment for the millions of customers who fly with us each year,” the company said.
The statement continues, “Southwest does not condone employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving our customers, and one employee’s individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 Employees.”
The company also said it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident and will “address the situation directly with any employee involved.”
We know many of you have heard about recent statements that may have been made on a Southwest flight, and we wanted you to hear directly from us. pic.twitter.com/CYh0MugYxd
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) October 31, 2021
The phrase became popular following a NASCAR race earlier last month, as IJR reported.
The crowd began chanting, “F*** Joe Biden,” when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast said, “As you can hear the chants from the crowd, ‘Let’s go Brandon!”