Ted Cruz Swallows a Fly During Fox News Interview in Viral Video, #ToadCruz Trends on Twitter

After being ridiculed for falling asleep during Biden's joint address to the Congress with #TedSnooze and getting slammed for jetting off to Cancun while his constituents struggled to cope with power outages and frigid conditions amid a devastating winter storm with #TedFled, Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz is being dragged on Twitter yet again, this time with a new hashtag, #ToadCruz.

Cruz has become the subject of mockery on Twitter after a resurfaced clip of him appearing to swallow a fly during an interview with Fox News went viral on the platform.

The video in question shows a curious fly on the unsuspecting lawmaker's mouth as he spoke to Sean Hannity moments before the insect enters his mouth, causing him to flinch. He then pauses to take a sip of water before resuming the conversation.

Watch the clip below:

Here's slowed down GIF of the moment:

Turns out the video is not a recent one, as pointed out by a Twitter user.

"No, no. Ted Cruz did swallow a fly. But years ago. My pal Methy Anne had it posted, ... But some time ago she got suspended. So the video has been gone for ages. She just got out of Twitmo after months, and I had her repost the vid. Now it's everywhere like it just happened," the user wrote.

Twitter Reactions

The video instantly went viral on the platform, causing the hashtag #ToadCruz to trend with users sharing their reactions to the video by mocking Cruz.

"RIP fly, you deserved better," wrote one user, while another commented, "#ToadCruz is trending because Ted Cruz swallowed a fly, live on Fox News?? Why do we write fiction, reality is so good." Here are some of the reactions:

The event drew comparisons to a November incident involving the former Vice President Mike Pence, who was similarly trolled after a fly landed on his head during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, as previously reported.

Someone even made a parody account with the handle @ToadCruzFly: