Video of Sen. Ted Cruz forgetting the Pledge of Allegiance is not real

A viral video posted on TikTok and Threads in May appears to show Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) forgetting some of the words to the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Watch Ted Cruz not able to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Absolutely gobsmacked a United States Senator cannot remember the words to the pledge of allegiance,” reads the caption on the Threads video.

Some people who commented on the video asked if it was real.

THE QUESTION

Is the video of Sen. Ted Cruz forgetting the Pledge of Allegiance real?

THE SOURCES

• Original video posted by Sen. Ted Cruz on X
• The Pledge of Allegiance
• Darin Miller, Communications Director for Sen. Ted Cruz

THE ANSWER

No, the video of Sen. Ted Cruz forgetting the Pledge of Allegiance is not real.

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WHAT WE FOUND

The viral video of Sen. Ted Cruz appearing to forget some of the words to the Pledge of Allegiance is not real — it’s been altered, Darin Miller, a spokesperson for Cruz, told VERIFY.

In an email, Miller shared a link to the real video of Cruz reciting the Pledge of Allegiance correctly. It was posted on his official X page on June 14, 2021, with a caption that reads, “This didn’t use to be controversial. #flagday”

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” Cruz says in the real video.

Meanwhile, the altered version of the viral video has visible edits. It appears to show Cruz stumbling over the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and pausing for a few seconds before a person can be heard saying, “It’s OK, Ted. Just keep going,” and “Try again” off camera. 

It also includes several jump cuts that are not included in the real video, and it ends with a screen that reads “Vote Blue.” The altered version also appears to show Cruz facing the flag in the opposite direction and standing with his left hand over his heart. 

The U.S. Flag Code states the Pledge of Allegiance should be said while standing at attention and facing the flag with the right hand over the heart, which is how Cruz is standing in the real video.