--- title: Ted Cruz 'Lucifer': Political Insults That Rival Boehner's description: Long before John Boehner likened Ted Cruz to "Lucifer," politics has inspired leaders to level biting insults at their rivals canonical: https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-28T16:57:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:01.510Z article:section: Politics og:title: 7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh' og:description: "Designing, sordid, ambitious, vain, proud, arrogant and vindictive knave" og:url: https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66bebfb2e34d57a1/69889106ab6d770e4e6a975d/ted-cruz-political-insults.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senator Ted Cruz Presidential Campaign Rally og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh' twitter:description: "Designing, sordid, ambitious, vain, proud, arrogant and vindictive knave" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66bebfb2e34d57a1/69889106ab6d770e4e6a975d/ted-cruz-political-insults.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh' > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=644f4ecc-ba82-4bb6-80ad-706d583d8707&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: Ted Cruz Responds To John Boehner's "Lucifer" Comments [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Ted Cruz Responds To John Boehner's "Lucifer" Comments](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bdJ9GvAl.m3u8) (0:58)  _Published 2016-04-28_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 28, 2016 4:57 PM UTC  Republican Presidential Candidate Senator Ted Cruz speaks during a campaign rally at in Frederick, Md., on April 21. Republican Presidential Candidate Senator Ted Cruz speaks during a campaign rally at in Frederick, Md., on April 21. Samuel Corum—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 28, 2016 4:57 PM UTC The 2016 election has seen no shortage of [political insults](http://time.com/4242827/donald-trump-marco-rubio-insults/) directed [at presidential hopefuls](http://time.com/4242827/donald-trump-marco-rubio-insults/). Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was the most recent target on Wednesday, when former House Speaker John Boehner [called him “Lucifer in the flesh](http://time.com/4310768/john-boehner-ted-cruz-lucifer-in-the-flesh/).” “I have Democrat friends and Republican friends,” Boehner said, the [Stanford _Daily_ reported](http://www.stanforddaily.com/2016/04/28/john-boehner-talks-election-time-in-office/). “I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a b—h in my life.” But political disagreements have long inspired leaders to level unseemly comparisons and biting critiques at their rivals. Here are some of the best—or worst—examples: 1\. “That dark, designing, sordid, ambitious, vain, proud, arrogant and vindictive knave,” Revolutionary War General Charles Lee [said in 1779 of soon-to-be President George Washington](https://books.google.com/books?id=JRMUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA281&lpg=PA281&dq=%E2%80%9CThat+dark,+designing,+sordid,+ambitious,+vain,+proud,+arrogant+and+vindictive+knave&source=bl&ots=qQWKvFE1vd&sig=u-TP9LmtfIBmb92l9XwQJyz4fSY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiT5I2l17HMAhVDFT4KHRtPAbwQ6AEIJzAF#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CThat%20dark%2C%20designing%2C%20sordid%2C%20ambitious%2C%20vain%2C%20proud%2C%20arrogant%20and%20vindictive%20knave&f=false). 2\. “Hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman,” Thomas Jefferson [said, referring to John Adams](https://books.google.com/books?id=s-sTrTHz8oMC&pg=PT675&lpg=PT675&dq=%22hideous+hermaphroditical+character,+which+has+neither+the+force+and+firmness+of+a+man,+nor+the+gentleness+and+sensibility+of+a+woman%22&source=bl&ots=Acv2S46iZo&sig=ukLPvJ4T1yrwoR3T%5FF5cfEkY8GA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq2bLU3LHMAhWJdT4KHT-5DI8Q6AEIKzAC#v=onepage&q=%22hideous%20hermaphroditical%20character%2C%20which%20has%20neither%20the%20force%20and%20firmness%20of%20a%20man%2C%20nor%20the%20gentleness%20and%20sensibility%20of%20a%20woman%22&f=false), whose son, John Quincy Adams, returned the favor, [calling Jefferson](https://books.google.com/books?id=TA1MAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=slur+upon+the+moral+government+of+the+world%5C&source=bl&ots=vkBLxLrCnA&sig=X6grejDGDhiIRxjpwR0JBf4kRQI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3t8zu2rHMAhXG2D4KHRxzDw8Q6AEIMjAF#v=onepage&q=slur%20upon%20the%20moral%20government%20of%20the%20world%5C&f=false), “A slur upon the moral government of the world.” 3\. “God forgive me for the vile thought, but I cannot help thinking of a monkey just put into breeches when I see him betray such evident marks of self-conceit,” Sen. William Maclay [said of John Adams](https://books.google.com/books?id=PK4pAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9&dq=God+forgive+me+for+the+vile+thought&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqh-Gi47HMAhVEaz4KHZXxAD0Q6AEIMjAC#v=onepage&q=God%20forgive%20me%20for%20the%20vile%20thought&f=false). 4\. “Of all the men whom it was ever my lot to accost and to waste civilities upon, \[he\] was the most doggedly and systematically repulsive,” British minister W.H. Lyttleton [said of John Quincy Adams](https://books.google.com/books?id=v8twBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=most+doggedly+and+systematically+repulsive+lyttleton&source=bl&ots=gfKrGTxvT4&sig=Y84yX6MMioA9nsPez-fXhFm7RRM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwixo-L65LHMAhUDwj4KHQzUACAQ6AEIITAB#v=onepage&q=most%20doggedly%20and%20systematically%20repulsive%20lyttleton&f=false). 5\. Theodore Roosevelt was partial to backbone-related insults. He reportedly said President William McKinley had “no more backbone than a chocolate éclair,” though [some have disputed he actually said it.](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-5705.2006.02558.x/abstract) “I could carve out of a banana a justice with more backbone than that,” [Roosevelt also said](https://books.google.com/books?id=d6JZryGvfxYC&pg=PA7&dq=%E2%80%9CNo+more+backbone+than+a+chocolate+%C3%A9clair&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwibzfGL2bHMAhWFjz4KHUTzBSQQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CNo%20more%20backbone%20than%20a%20chocolate%20%C3%A9clair&f=false) of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 6\. “History buffs probably noted the reunion at a Washington party a few weeks ago of three ex-presidents: Carter, Ford and Nixon — See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Evil,” [Sen. Bob Dole said](http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/29/us/required-reading.html) in 1983. 7\. “People might cite George Bush as proof that you can be totally impervious to the effects of Harvard and Yale education,” Rep. Barney Frank [said in 2005](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201686.html). ## Transcript John Boehner had some interesting comments last night, he actually didn't abbreviate what he said, it was a little bit more expressive. He allowed his inner Trump to come out. John Boehner and his remarks describe Donald Trump as his texting and golfing buddy. So if you want someone that's a texting and golfing buddy, if you're happy with John Boehner as Speaker of the House and you want a president like John Boehner, Donald Trump's your man. When John Boehner calls me lucifer he's not directing that at me. He's directing that at you. What Boehner is angry with me for is not anything I've ever said to him. I haven't said much of anything to him. What Boehner is angry with me for is standing with the American people. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/"},"headline":"7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh'","datePublished":"2016-04-28T16:57:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:01.510Z","description":"\"Designing, sordid, ambitious, vain, proud, arrogant and vindictive knave\"","url":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/","keywords":["ted cruz","2016 Election","John Boehner"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66bebfb2e34d57a1/69889106ab6d770e4e6a975d/ted-cruz-political-insults.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66bebfb2e34d57a1/69889106ab6d770e4e6a975d/ted-cruz-political-insults.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senator Ted Cruz Presidential Campaign Rally","caption":"Senator Ted Cruz Presidential Campaign Rally","creditText":"Samuel Corum—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ted-cruz/","name":"ted cruz"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/","name":"7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Raw: Ted Cruz Responds To John Boehner's \"Lucifer\" Comments","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bdJ9GvAl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-04-28T16:38:11.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bdJ9GvAl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/","duration":"PT58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4311071/ted-cruz-john-boehner-political-insult-lucifer/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```