Ted Cruz stubbornly withheld his endorsement from Donald Trump Wednesday night as he addressed the GOP convention, ignoring noisy pleas from delegates and instead encouraging Americans to “vote your conscience” in November. “Ted Cruz said you can vote your conscience for anyone who can uphold the Constitution”. A Trump Organization writer took blame for including lines from a Michelle Obama speech in Mrs. Trump’s well-received remarks – after 36 hours of campaign denials that there was anything wrong with the overlap.
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State Sen. Don Gustavson, a Nevada delegate who originally backed Cruz, called Pence “a big plus” for Republicans, especially on socially conservative issues.
But while numerous vice presidential nominee’s statements are technically true, the context of the claims shows a more complicated picture of his handling of Indiana’s economy.
So what Cruz says later Wednesday during his prime-time convention speech will be closely watched for clues about his presidential aspirations.
After a week of divisions and infighting among Republicans, it will be up to Trump Thursday night to unite the party once and for all.
But Cruz’s hotly anticipated speech, in which he refused to publicly endorse Trump, reignited the GOP’s internal civil war. Recognizing the negative reaction from Trump’s home state, Cruz deviated from his prepared remarks to acidly comment, “I appreciate the enthusiasm of the NY delegation”.
“They shut them down”, said Dane Waters, a GOP operative helping the rebels.
“I support it 100 percent”, said Dalton Glasscock, a Cruz delegate from Wichita.
“Whatever may or may not have been planned, apparently it didn’t happen”, said Colorado delegate Kevin Grantham.
Mike Pence, making his first appearance in Cleveland since being named Donald Trump’s running mate, tried to reassure Republicans nervous about the celebrity businessman’s conservative credentials by vouching for his character and comparing him to Ronald Reagan. It was a huge gamble that Republicans will deeply regret nominating Trump.
The convention has had moment’s of Trump’s NY flair: On Monday, he literally emerged from the shadows to introduce his wife as Queen’s “We Are The Champions” blared from the arena speakers.
Donald Trump Jr. told reporters he was proud of Mrs. Trump’s speech but people in the campaign “should have cleaned it up better”.
“We have the right to free speech”, Weidenkopf said. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is tepidly backing Trump, as is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, the first Latina to lead an American state.
As large and challenging as political conventions are, they pale in comparison with the scope of a president’s responsibilities, and sloppiness in Cleveland could hint at what a Trump presidency could look like. That decision was sure to spark a new round of second guessing about the campaign’s management of the convention and preparedness for a bruising general election against Democrat Hillary Clinton. But her speech was quickly subsumed by the plagiarism charges, overshadowing almost all of the campaign’s other messaging.
Only one said she was enthusiastic about Trump.
The Indiana governor also said Trump won’t ever turn his back on American service members, either.
The matter revived persistent questions about the sturdiness of Trump’s campaign operation and distracted from the attempts to reshape his image.
In a dash of showmanship that emphasized his stature and flair for the dramatic, Trump touched down in Cleveland on his personal airplane earlier Wednesday and then flitted between the city’s skyscrapers on his helicopter.
“Good news is Melania’s speech got more publicity than any in the history of politics especially if you believe that all press is good press!”
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Kleefisch, when asked if she’s excited about Trump, said she is “excited about winning the White House back”.
