Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a news conference on immigration at the US Capitol on Sept. 9, 2014. (AFP photo/Mandel Ngan )

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday called Apple CEO Tim Cook’s coming out as gay a “personal decision.”

“Those are his personal choices,” Cruz said on CNBC. “I’ll tell you, I love my iPhone.”

The Texas Republican, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, then pivoted to his stance on the broader issue. Cruz said marriage is a question best left to the states because of the country’s federalist system.

“My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions,” Cruz said.

Last month, Cruz vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment that would ensure states can ban gay marriage. His announcement came after the Supreme Court let stand a series of lower court rulings that legalized the practice, a move Cruz called “tragic and indefensible.”

Cook came out in a Bloomberg Businessweek opinion piece on Thursday, revealing publicly for the first time that he is gay.

“Let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Cook wrote.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay-rights organization, had harsh words for Cruz’s remarks.

“Coming out is the most courageous and important thing that an LGBT person will do in their lifetime,” spokesman Fred Sainz said. “Tim Cook showed great courage and leadership in doing so. He no doubt will save lives by inspiring those struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. All we get from Senator Cruz is either backhanded compliments or his backhand.”