As it became evident during his remarks that he would withhold his support for Trump, members of the crowded began to chant, “Endorse Trump, endorse Trump!”
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Cruz encouraged voters to vote their conscience.
The crowd’s boos quickly switched to cheers as Trump entered the arena at the moment Cruz finished.
Tuesday saw speeches from a wide range of supporters, including Trump’s own son, Donald Trump, Jr.; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Cruz’s wife Heidi had to be escorted from the audience after her husband was jeered off stage, while US Political media site FiveThirtyEight labelled the speech as a “giant middle finger to Trump”.
Delegates chanted Trump’s name and implored Cruz to voice his support for the businessman, to no avail.
Governor Mike Pence (R-IN) accepted the Republican party’s nomination for Vice President in a fiery speech Wednesday night, calling for party unity while introducing himself to the nation on prime-time TV. “If you love our country. stand and speak and vote your conscience”, he said. Tuesday’s session was meant to focus on the economy, but few speakers hewed to the theme.
Cruz, who finished second to Trump in a very bitter Republican primary campaign, mentioned Trump once in his speech and did not say he would vote for the NY billionaire.
“We can not have four more years apologizing to our enemies and abandoning our friends”, he said. He promised that Donald Trump, the presidential nominee, “will confront radical Islamic terror at its source and destroy the enemies of our freedom”.
On Wednesday, Trump briefly appeared at the end of Pence’s speech.
Pence will follow several former presidential hopefuls on stage Wednesday.
Widely seen as a balance to the out-spoken, brash and egotistic Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Pence is calm, deeply religious and has extensive experience working in Capitol Hill. Walker originally endorsed Cruz ahead of the Wisconsin primary in April.
He called presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the “secretary of the status quo”, referring to her former job as secretary of state. “If she was more on the inside she would be in prison”.
When it comes to their general opinion of Pence, 43 percent said they don’t know.
“I was very disappointed that he did not endorse Trump”, Gary Inmon, who lives near San Antonio, said.
So, Cruz sorta-kinda endorsed Trump? No.
The primetime program also featured a brief video from Sen.
He was joined on stage by the NY billionaire after his speech, when the two men hugged awkwardly as Mr Trump leaned in to plant a kiss on his running mate but appeared to miss.
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“After a long and spirited primary, the time for fighting each other is over”. “He has enough insight to keep Trump from stumbling”. Ted Cruz’s home state, looked shellshocked in the concourse of the Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night. “But I can tell you firsthand, there’s a lot of Americans out there who feel like Democrat politicians have taken them for granted”.
