The frontman also recalled a bizarre past encounter with the politician

Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor took aim at Ted Cruz during the band’s show in Texas last night, claiming that the politician tried to get on the guest list.

Earlier this month, Cruz defeated ‘punk politician’ Beto O’Rourke for a US Senate seat in the southern state. O’Rourke – who once played in a band with members of The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In – had gained huge support from figures in the entertainment industry.

Now, footage has emerged from Nine Inch Nails’ gig in Irving, Texas last night (November 27) – in which Reznor airs a clear message to Cruz, who was apparently hoping to catch the show.

“Who voted for Ted Cruz?” the musician asked the crowd. “See the lights aren’t on, I can’t see. Is there any way to turn the lights on? I’d like to see. Raise your hand, you guys, nothing to be ashamed of, just checking.”

The frontman then claimed that although Cruz wanted to attend, he was quickly sent packing by the group. “He might be here tonight, he was bugging to get on the guest list, and I told him to fuck off.”

Speaking of crossing paths with Cruz in the past, Reznor added: “We put him on [the guest list] a few years ago, he drank all the beer, and was just a pain in the ass to be around. Can’t hold it against you.”

Meanwhile, Trent Reznor recently revealed that winning an Oscar for an original film score made him contemplate ending Nine Inch Nails.

“There’s nowhere to go but down from there, right?” he said. “And you start to wonder — should it be ‘Fuck rock and roll! I’ve got a new lease on life that doesn’t have quite the age limit restrictions that playing in a rock band does? Should I put all my eggs in that basket?’”