Ted Cruz Challenges President Obama to 'Come Back and Insult Me to My Face'

— -- A fired-up Sen. Ted Cruz this morning challenged President Obama to a debate over Syrian refugees, lashing out at Obama over his Tuesday comments in the Philippines.

"I want to encourage you, Mr. President, come back and insult me to my face," Cruz said today. "Let’s have a debate on Syrian refugees right now. We can do it anywhere you want. I prefer it in the United States and not overseas where you’re making insults. It’s easy to toss a cheap insult when no one can respond, but let’s have a debate.

"I got to tell you, it is utterly unbefitting of the president to be engaging in those kind of personal insults and attacks," he continued.

The Texas Republican and presidential candidate appeared outside the Capitol Hill Club with recent supporter Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who also called Obama's comments "more than a little rich."

The president mocked his political opponents Tuesday during his trip abroad.

"Apparently, they are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America," Obama said. "At first they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three-year-old orphans. That doesn't seem so tough to me."

More than 30 governors across the country -- almost all of them Republicans -- have now said they don't want Syrian refugees settling in their states.

“If he actually wants to defend his policy instead of tossing cheap insults, I think that actually would be beneficial to this country," Cruz said.

Obama tweeted on the issue later this morning:

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