Ted Cruz Is Right About the ‘Islamism’ Threat

I got into a quarrel on the set of CNN’s NewsNight on Thursday over Senator Ted Cruz’s remarks at the GOP’s midterm convention. On this one, I’m on Team Cruz:

Here’s the controversial passage in Cruz’s speech, which one left-wing outlet branded a “bizarre bigoted rant”:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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I got into a quarrel on the set of CNN’s NewsNight on Thursday over Senator Ted Cruz’s remarks at the GOP’s midterm convention. On this one, I’m on Team Cruz:

Here’s the controversial passage in Cruz’s speech, which one left-wing outlet branded a “bizarre bigoted rant”:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.