Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday painted over profane graffiti that included the name of conservative activist Charlie Kirk along a Houston freeway, posting video of the act on X as he urged authorities to remove the message.
"Some deranged bastard put this graffiti on the 59 freeway in Houston. TXDOT has been notified & I’m sure they will remove it expeditiously. But, in the meantime, Texans don’t have to look at this hateful garbage anymore," Cruz wrote in the post, which included a short video of him covering the spray-painted words. He captioned the clip, "Erasing evil."
Cruz's post came days after Kirk was killed in Utah last week. Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and founder of the group Turning Point USA, drew nationwide attention following his death and a series of memorial events. In a statement last week, Cruz described Kirk as a "close friend" and called him "courageous, brilliant, compassionate, and powerfully honest." Hundreds attended a memorial at the Kennedy Center to mourn Kirk, and law enforcement has been involved in several investigations tied to incidents at memorial sites.
Responses to Cruz's actions on social media were immediate. Elon Musk replied to Cruz's post with an American flag emoji. Tammy Bruce, who has been serving in a State Department spokesperson role, shared Cruz's video on her personal X account and applauded the senator, writing, "Well done. Thank you from all of us @tedcruz," followed by clap and flag emojis.
TXDOT officials were notified, Cruz said, and he expressed confidence the agency would remove any remaining graffiti. Cruz's post showed him using a brush and white paint to cover the sprayed message, which included profanity directed at Kirk.
The graffiti episode is among several confrontations and incidents that have followed Kirk's death. Authorities in Phoenix arrested a man last week in connection with an incident at a memorial outside Turning Point USA's headquarters, according to reporting. The events have prompted heightened security at some memorials and renewed public attention on political rhetoric and safety for public figures.
Cruz's decision to intervene personally underscored the emotional and political ramifications surrounding the killing and the ways public figures have responded. He has repeatedly called for civility and condemned both violent acts and public celebrations of the activist's death. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of Kirk's killing and related incidents at memorials, and local agencies have said they are monitoring public locations for further vandalism or disturbance.