Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) became the talk of the internet on Monday after having two beer cans thrown at him while participating in the Astros victory parade in Houston.
Attended by an estimated 1 million people, the parade was held to celebrate the professional baseball team’s World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Footage of the incident, which also saw Cruz on the receiving end of countless middle fingers and jeering, shows the politician being struck with one of the two 12 oz. cans.
The moment spurred a wide range of reactions on Twitter, with many users appearing to celebrate the beer throw.
Numerous tweets referenced Cruz’s infamous trip to Mexico last year as his state struggled with unprecedented power outages during a historically grueling winter.
“Holy fuck @tedcruz dodges winter storm induced grid failures faster than he does a beer,” the user joked. “Head on a swivel Teddy, Head on a swivel.”
Others argued that Cruz could have caught and chugged the beer to earn the crowd’s respect but instead failed.
“He had a chance to snatch it from the air and pound it Stone Cold Steve Austin style but he failed,” one user wrote. “This is why Ted Cruz could never be president.”
Given attempts by Republicans such as Cruz to downplay the recent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband by spreading debunked conspiracy theories that the attacker was actually his lover, many commenters jokingly claimed that the beer-thrower was simply the Texas senator’s lover as well.
“While at first glance this seems like something everyone should condemn regardless of their politics, I’m waiting for definitive proof that Cruz and the beer can weren’t involved in a drunken lover’s quarrel, as I’ve read the beer had a blood alcohol level of 5%,” another user said.
Cruz was criticized for retweeting conspiracies in the wake of the Pelosi attack.
A handful of users, however, instead chose to condemn the incident as a counterproductive act of political violence.
“Don’t do this shit, people. I don’t give a damn how mad you are, this is not the answer,” one said. “Hit them where it really hurts, in the ballots.”
The man who actually threw the beer, 33-year-old Houston native Joseph Halm Arcidiacono, was ultimately arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
Court documents state that Arcidiacono “used and exhibited a deadly weapon, namely an unopened metal beverage can,” to purposely hit Cruz.
When confronted by police, Arcidiacono reportedly said, “I know, I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.” Arcidiacono has since had his bond set at $40,000.
