Ted Cruz ‘disappointed’ that officials dropped out of NRA meeting after Uvalde massacre

Mr Cruz says he ‘thought it was important’ to speak at the NRA confab because it was the opposite of what the US media would support

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is defending his decision to speak at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston just days after a gunman murdered 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school less than 300 miles away.

Mr Cruz said he “thought it was important” to attend the conference despite the carnage while speaking on an episode of his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.

After his co-host pointed out that “a lot of people” — including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Representative Dan Crenshaw, and his Senate colleague John Cornyn — had declined to make in-person appearances at the NRA confab, Mr Cruz defended his decision by suggesting it was important to do the opposite of what members of the press would want him to do.

“I was disappointed to see so many others make the decision not to be there. In part because the media narrative that comes out of horrific crimes, horrific mass murders within seconds, the media immediately wants to politicize them and use them to advance their longstanding political agenda that they had moments before the murder occurred,” he said, adding that in his estimation “the media and the Democrats” want to “label” anyone who “believes in” or “defends the Second Amendment” — the clause in the US Bill of Rights which guarantees “the right to keep and bear arms” — as “responsible” for the mass shooting.

Mr Cruz added that he spoke to former president Donald Trump, who also delivered a speech at the conference, and recalled telling Mr Trump it was “important” that the twice-impeached ex-president made an appearance as well.

He said Mr Trump agreed with his statement and offered “some choice words” for the GOP officeholders who chose not to attend.