New York Governor Kathy Hochul was quick to hit back at Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) after he questioned why she was wearing a hijab in a photo posted to X.
The image, which shows Hochul sitting next to New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a mosque, was originally posted by an anonymous conservative account with the caption, “Why in TF is the Governor of New York wearing a fcking hijab?!”
Cruz then reposted it, adding his own biting commentary of “Um, wut?” On Saturday night, Hochul responded to Cruz’s question with a concise explanation, writing, “I wore a headscarf to honor a fallen Muslim NYPD officer at his funeral. Respecting a grieving family’s faith is ‘wut’ leaders and anyone with basic decency would do.”
Some users on X were quick to point out that Cruz is no stranger to accommodating religious customs while visiting a place of worship, with fact checkers adding a note to the post linking an example of Cruz wearing a yarmulke while visiting the Jewish Center of Brighton Beach during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Hochul was attending the funeral of murdered NYPD officer Detective Didarul Islam, who was killed in the deadly Midtown office shooting earlier this week. Hochul and Adams both spoke at the funeral, while other politicians, including former governor Andrew Cuomo and his fellow New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa, were also in attendance.
Hochul told mourners, “The residents of this city and indeed this state must show greater platitudes and gratitude toward our police force. They have not received enough in years of late, in my opinion, and that must be rectified,” adding, ”They need our support.”
Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, worked in the 47th precinct in the Bronx, and had two children, with a third on the way. Adams described him as a “true blue New Yorker,” who was a hero for putting his life on the line.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Cruz for comment.
