Cruz 1, Deadspin 0.
Since stepping into the national spotlight as a candidate for president last year, Ted Cruz has been forced to put up with countless memes and jokes on social media, saying he looked like everyone from Grandpa Munster to Pee Wee Herman.
So when the sports website Deadspin called him out on Twitter — asking for “proof” that he plays basketball, after Politico ran a story saying he hoops weekly — the Texas senator knew just what to do.
On Tuesday, after waiting more than a day, Cruz delivered his epic counter: a photo of Duke basketball player Grayson Allen — one of his most popular doppelgangers — shooting a foul shot.
“What do I win?” the Republican asked.
The response immediately sparked widespread praise from social media users, who later labeled Cruz the “winner” of the tiny Twitter war.
“Dammit did I just like Ted Cruz?” joked one user.
“I have proof he can dunk right here where he dunked on you in this tweet,” another said.
Someone even went so far as to change the Deadspin Wikipedia page on Tuesday to say it was “owned by Ted Cruz.”
While the senator’s response seemed to be universally loved by Twitter users, it didn’t sit too well with Deadspin.
“Go eat s–t,” the website tweeted, causing Cruz to reply yet again with a GIF of Ron Burgundy delivering his famous “Boy, that escalated quickly” line from “Anchorman.”
Minutes later, more tweets began rolling in — telling Deadspin to wave the white flag.
“You’re getting owned so hard I feel sorry for you,” a user said.
“Praying for you and hoping for a speedy recovery,” another added.