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Republican presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz apologized for an ill-timed joke about Vice President Joe Biden Wednesday night.
While speaking at a GOP dinner in Michigan on Wednesday, Cruz delivered an oft-told stump speech line poking fun at Biden, mentioning his name and then saying, “You know the nice thing? You don’t need a punchline,” according to the Detroit News.
“Honestly, it works,” Cruz said, according to the news report. “The next party you’re at, just walk up to someone and say, ‘Vice President Joe Biden’ and just close your mouth. They will crack up laughing.”
While the line is often well-received on his campaign trail, this time it fell flat. Biden’s son, Beau, passed away from brain cancer on Saturday.
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Cruz took to Facebook and Twitter to issue an apology.
“It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize. The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the Vice President and his family,” Cruz wrote.
Beau Biden’s funeral will be held on Saturday in Dover, Delaware, where he served as the state attorney general. President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver his eulogy.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Monday, May 2.
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With his wife by his side, Cruz tours the Dane Manufacturing facility before speaking to workers in Dane, Wisconsin, on Thursday, March 24.
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Cruz speaks during the CNN Republican debate in Miami on Thursday, March 10.
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Cruz and his wife wave to the crowd at Liberty University after he announced his presidential candidacy in Lynchburg, Virginia, on March 23, 2015.
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Cruz speaks during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013, in Houston, Texas.
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Cruz poses with his wife, Heidi, and his daughters Caroline and Catherine.
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Cruz (left) fields questions from Bruce Rastetter at the Iowa Ag Summit on March 7, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. The event allows the invited speakers, many of whom are potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls, to outline their views on agricultural issue.
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Cruz greets supporters at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention on January 18, 2015, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A variety of conservative presidential hopefuls spoke at the gathering on the second day of a three-day event.
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Cruz (left) and then-Texas Governor Rick Perry stand together during a press conference at the front gate of Fort Hood about Iraq war veteran, Ivan Lopez, who killed three and wounded 16 before taking his own life on April 4, 2014, in Fort Hood, Texas.
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(Left to right) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. John McCain and Cruz listen as President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address on January 28, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
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Then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (second right), poses with Republican senators-elect Jeff Flake (left), Deb Fischer (second left), and Cruz (right) at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2012, in Washington, D.C.
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Cruz speaks to reporters on September 25, 2013, after ending his talk-a-thon on the floor of the US Senate in Washington, D.C.
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Cruz speaks as then-Rep. Michele Bachmann (left), Sen. Mike Lee (second right) and Sen. Rand Paul (right) listen during a news conference May 16, 2013, on Capitol Hill.
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Cruz listens to testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 22, 2013, in Washington, D.C.
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Cruz speaks at the CPAC on March 6, 2014, in National Harbor, Maryland.
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Then-Senate Republican Candidate and Texas Solicitor General Cruz speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012.
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Then-Senate Republican Candidate and Texas Solicitor General Cruz speaks during the Republican National Convention in 2012.