--- description: Long before John Boehner likened Ted Cruz to "Lucifer," politics has inspired leaders to level biting insults at their rivals title: 7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66bebfb2e34d57a1/69889106ab6d770e4e6a975d/ted-cruz-political-insults.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [ted cruz](/tag/ted-cruz/) ## ted cruz Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 7 Political Insults That Rival 'Lucifer in The Flesh'  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 28, 2016 4:57 PM CUT  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](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 28, 2016 4:57 PM CUT The 2016 election has seen no shortage of [political insults](http://time.com/4242827/donald-trump-marco-rubio-insults/ "undefined") directed [at presidential hopefuls](http://time.com/4242827/donald-trump-marco-rubio-insults/ "undefined"). 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/ "undefined").” “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/ "undefined"). “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 "undefined"). 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 "undefined"), 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 "undefined"), “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 "undefined"). 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 "undefined"). 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 "undefined") “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 "undefined") 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 "undefined") 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 "undefined"). ```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":"2026-02-22T17:06:48.787Z","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 topic","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"}}] ```