Cruz took Trump to task over his past support for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the $700 billion Congress approved to help stabilize the banks in 2008, and his early backing of universal healthcare coverage.
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The rolling brawl between the US Republican presidential front-runners rumbled on yesterday as Donald Trump described his closest competitor Ted Cruz as “nasty”, while the Texas senator criticised the billionaire’s “New York values”.
Trump also said Cruz and other candidates are more likely to do the bidding of their donors if elected opposed to looking out for the best interest of the country.
“Those are you words, Jeff”, Cruz told his host, only adding that he “likes” and “respects” him. “Don’t listen to what any of us say on the campaign trail, but rather follow the biblical principle, ‘You shall know them by their fruits.’ Ask what have they done”.
Cruz has doubled down on assaults against Trump’s “New York values”, pushing videos showing Trump supporting abortion rights and praising Hillary Clinton.
But Cruz doesn’t have anything like a hammerlock on Iowans who take a dim view of “New York values”.
He pointed to a 1999 interview where Trump, explaining his political views, said, “I lived in New York City, in Manhattan all my life, OK?” And I get along very well with Nikki, and you know, Nikki said we’re friends and we are friends.
Cruz though is calling out Trump for what he considers questionable conservative values.
Trump was talking about his rivals for the GOP nomination, yet to hear former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu tell it on Bloomberg TV last week, if Trump succeeds, he’ll also be getting rid of scores of local Republicans next fall. “He is very happy to come here and raise money. It’s how he articulated it. And it strikes me as curious now that he is displaying such outrage”. Remember when Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “extreme conservatives” were “not who New Yorkers are”.
“I like what he’s saying, and I’d love for him to have a role in the administration, but I want Ted to be president”, she said. Christie said Cruz was reading off Trump’s playbook as he doubled-down on the attack line.
Cruz had joked during the debate about the possibility of selecting Trump as his vice president if Cruz becomes the presidential nominee, as Trump could therefore be president if Cruz is found to be ineligible for being born in Canada. And then he acts like Robin Hood. “That he’s the one protecting the people from the banks while he’s actually borrowing money and personally guaranteeing it and not disclosing it, which is illegal”.
But should New Yorkers be mad about it? “He’s not making stuff up as he goes; it’s consistent with everything he’s always said”. But I’m not going to hold my nose and vote for whoever the Republican candidate is.
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Cruz supporter Dan Gleason of Windham, New Hampshire, said Cruz stands out from the pack because of his apparent commitment to upholding the Constitution.
