Educated Republicans Act Stupid to Connect With Their Voters

Sen. Ted Cruz (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

I’ve come up with a new phrase to describe the habit of educated Republicans pretending to be stupid. I call it “performative stupidity.”

Since a large chunk of the GOP’s base is anti-science and pro-conspiracy, you have this strange habit of Ivy-league educated Republicans, such as Sen. Ted Cruz and FOX News propagandist Pete Hegseth, pretending to be ignorant.