‘You know nothing about us’: Australian leader dunks on Ted Cruz over his vaccination mandate tweet

An Australian leader pushed back hard at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) after Cruz opined about a COVID-19 vaccination mandate in the Northern Territory.

Australia’s Northern Territory announced last week that essential workers would need to be vaccinated, according to the Guardian. Those essential workers need to get one dose by the middle of November and be fully vaccinated by Dec. 24. Not getting the vaccination could result in hefty fines.

Cruz responded to that mandate last week, tweeting that while he considered Australia to be “the Texas of the Pacific,” the mandate was “tyranny” by the government that was “disgraceful and sad.”

Cruz, who already has made his views on vaccine mandates abundantly clear, continued to say that he stood “with the people of Australia.” The Texas senator’s tweet featured a video of Michael Gunner, the Northern Territory Chief Minister.

Late Sunday, Gunner responded to Cruz. In a lengthy statement posted on Twitter responding to Cruz’s tweet, Gunner noted that while nearly 70,000 people have died in Texas because of COVID, there have been “zero deaths in the territory.” He added that the territory has only been in lockdown for eight days over the last 18 months.

“We don’t need your lectures, thanks mate,” Gunner wrote in a statement he posted on Twitter. “You know nothing about us. And if you stand against a life-saving vaccine, then you sure as hell don’t stand with Australia.”

Gunner continued: “I love Texas (go Longhorns), but when it comes to COVID, I’m glad we’re nothing like you.”

Gunner’s response to Cruz, who frequently draws the ire of the internet, predictably was mostly cheered by people online.

“The absolute best ass kicking of Ted Cruz!” one Twitter user wrote.

“This is bloody beautiful,” another user added.

“Brilliant evidence based put down. We need more of this!” someone else wrote.

Cruz has yet to respond to Gunner’s statement.