--- title: San Bernardino Shooting: Ted Cruz Says U.S. 'At War' description: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday's mass shooting in California raises additional concerns about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. canonical: https://time.com/4134512/ted-cruz-san-bernardino/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-03T14:58:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:05:03.650Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ted Cruz: San Bernardino Shooting Shows U.S. 'At War' og:description: "Radical Islamic terrorism here at home." og:url: https://time.com/4134512/ted-cruz-san-bernardino/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c4898fc5f7bc59d/698873a5196cf4a3a8039484/ted-cruz-republican-jewish-coalition.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ted Cruz: San Bernardino Shooting Shows U.S. 'At War' twitter:description: "Radical Islamic terrorism here at home." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c4898fc5f7bc59d/698873a5196cf4a3a8039484/ted-cruz-republican-jewish-coalition.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ted Cruz Says San Bernardino Shooting Shows U.S. 'At a Time of War' by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Dec 3, 2015 2:58 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Dec 3, 2015 2:58 PM UTC Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday’s mass shooting in California raises additional concerns about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, saying it’s additional proof that the nation is at war. “All of us are deeply concerned that this is yet another manifestation of terrorism—radical Islamic terrorism here at home,” Cruz said Thursday morning of the attack which killed at least 14 and injured more than a dozen more. The motivation of the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, remains undetermined. And Cruz himself said “at this point the details of what happened in San Bernardino are still unclear.” But he said implied he believed it to be terrorism-related. “Yesterday’s horrific murder in the wake of Paris underscores we’re at a time of war whether or not the current Administration realizes it,” Cruz said. “Our enemies are at war with us, and I believe this nation needs a wartime president to defend it,” he added. Speaking before the Republican Jewish Coalition, Cruz called Obama an “apologist” for terrorism, adding he didn’t use the term lightly. “When the president stands up and says the Islamic State isn’t Islamic, that’s just nutty,” he said. Cruz also had harsh words for Secretary of State John Kerry, noting he was one of three Senators not to have voted for his confirmation—taking a veiled shot at rival Sen. Marco Rubio, who supported it. Kicking off a day of candidate speeches before the conservative group, Cruz promised that if elected he would ““rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal.” **Read Next:**[_Marco vs. Ted: Inside the Rivalry Reshaping the GOP_](http://time.com/4134378/marco-vs-ted-inside-the-rivalry-reshaping-the-gop/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4134512/ted-cruz-san-bernardino/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4134512/ted-cruz-san-bernardino/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz Says San Bernardino Shooting Shows U.S. 'At a Time of War'","datePublished":"2015-12-03T14:58:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:05:03.650Z","description":"Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday's mass shooting in California raises additional concerns about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.","url":"https://time.com/4134512/ted-cruz-san-bernardino/","keywords":["ted cruz","Sen. Marco Rubio","John F. 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