Ted Cruz jokes: I'm an Ethiopian citizen

Sen. Ted Cruz had some fun Thursday with the attention he’s been getting for his birth in Canada, joking he might have secret citizenship in other countries.

At a gathering of executives in Austin, the Texas Republican cracked a joke about his nationality as the media was asked to leave the room so he could freely answer questions from the business leaders, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“I promise that while y’all are out I’ll try not to give any like really juicy piece of crazy news,” Cruz said, adding: “I am secretly a citizen of Ethiopia.”

(QUIZ: Do you know Ted Cruz?)

Cruz was the center of a firestorm of media attention this week after he released his birth certificate, which showed he was born in Canada. Though the American citizenship of Cruz’s mother means he is also an American citizen, experts said that his birth in Canada also makes him a Canadian citizen, prompting him to release a statement saying he’ll renounce his Canadian citizenship.