Since President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) and his subsequent threat to intervene with American troops, debates have erupted across Nigerian media and social platforms.
Before this latest controversy, Senator Ted Cruz had already been one of the most vocal figures promoting such claims, which quickly went viral online.
This article provides a detailed profile of Ted Cruz, the influential American senator fueling these debates from more than six thousand miles away.
Full Profile
Born Rafael Edward Cruz in Calgary, Alberta, in 1970, he is the son of Rafael Bienvenido Cruz, a Cuban immigrant and evangelical preacher who instilled in him a strong sense of religious conviction and conservative values. Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, has served in the U.S. Congress since 2013. His mother, Eleanor Elizabeth, was born in Delaware, which granted him American citizenship.
Cruz graduated with honors in public policy from Princeton University and later earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. He went on to clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist before entering private practice at the law firm Cooper, Carvin & Rosenthal (now Cooper & Kirk, PLLC).
In 1999, he joined President George W. Bush’s administration as a domestic policy adviser and later served as the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 to 2008. During that period, he argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
His First Spotlight
Cruz rose to national prominence in 2012, backed by the Tea Party movement, a conservative faction within the Republican Party. His victory in the Senate race made him a rising star, but also a divisive figure within his own party.
In 2013, he led the charge in a government shutdown over Obamacare, famously reading Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham on the Senate floor during a 21-hour filibuster. The act angered Republican leaders but solidified his reputation as a determined conservative willing to challenge the establishment.
Since then, Cruz has built a career on defiance, becoming one of the most polarizing figures in American politics. To his supporters, he is a principled constitutionalist who stands firm against both Democrats and moderate Republicans.
The White House Move
In 2016, Cruz launched a strong presidential campaign, drawing significant support from evangelical Christians and Tea Party loyalists. He won the Iowa and Wisconsin caucuses, but his rivalry with Donald Trump turned bitter.
Trump publicly insulted Cruz’s wife and father during the campaign, calling him a “liar” and “nasty guy.” Cruz retaliated, labeling Trump a “pathological liar” and “a bully.”
After losing the Indiana primary, Cruz suspended his campaign but later endorsed Trump. Over time, he became one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the Senate, a move seen as both pragmatic and strategic.
His Beliefs
Cruz’s political philosophy centers on three key pillars: strict constitutionalism, Christian conservatism, and populism. He often frames political debates as moral struggles between right and wrong, freedom and control, or faith and secularism.
He is a staunch opponent of abortion, same-sex marriage, strict gun control, and expansive government spending.
In foreign affairs, Cruz takes a hardline stance, advocating strong U.S. support for Israel and criticizing what he sees as weak diplomacy toward authoritarian regimes.
Cruz’s Issues with Nigeria
Cruz, along with Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole, has been one of the leading voices accusing Nigerian authorities of Christian persecution. He urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to classify Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
In March, the U.S. Congress considered proposals to impose sanctions on Nigeria under this designation. In September, Cruz introduced a bill calling for targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of enforcing Sharia or blasphemy laws that restrict religious freedom.
What is a CPC?
A Country of Particular Concern designation allows the U.S. government to apply diplomatic pressure, restrict aid, or impose sanctions on nations accused of violating religious freedoms or human rights.
Cruz’s bill coincided with growing concern in Washington over alleged human rights violations in Nigeria, particularly those related to the enforcement of blasphemy laws. The proposal came just weeks before former President Trump signed a memorandum classifying ideologies seen as “anti-American,” “anti-capitalist,” and “anti-Christian” as forms of extremism.
Cruz defended his bill as a measure to hold Nigerian authorities accountable for what he called the “systematic persecution of Christians.”
Cruz’s Strong Ties with Israel
Cruz has consistently positioned himself as one of Israel’s staunchest defenders. In an interview, he stated that his 2012 Senate campaign was launched “with the intention of being the leading defender of Israel in the U.S. Senate.”
He has described Israel as “America’s closest ally and a beacon of freedom in the Middle East.” His support for Israel stems from both his faith and his political ideology.
Cruz was an early advocate for moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a goal realized during Trump’s presidency. He has also sponsored multiple bills to enhance U.S.-Israel military cooperation, impose sanctions on Hamas and Hezbollah, and oppose Palestinian recognition at the United Nations.
Cruz’s evangelical worldview heavily influences his positions on religious freedom worldwide — including his criticism of Nigeria, whose government supports a two-state solution and has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.
This worldview forms the foundation of Cruz’s September proposal to sanction Nigerian officials accused of enforcing Sharia or blasphemy laws that, in his view, violate the right to religious freedom.
