Underscoring deep divisions at the Republican National Convention, US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was loudly booed after he declined to endorse the party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump and urged people to vote according to their conscience.
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“I appreciate the passion of the NY delegation”, Cruz said at one point when faced with a chorus of boos.
It’s hard to believe “speechgate” is consuming the national media for the third day in a row, but that’s in large part thanks to how the Trump campaign handled the controversy.
Cruz left the stage with boos from the crowd, while Trump suddenly entered the venue and gave Cruz a thumbs-up, sarcastically venting his anger towards his former rival.
Cruz, not one to shrink from a fight, once called Trump a “pathological liar” and “utterly amoral”. I wish he would endorse. But I admire Cruz for opting for something more lofty – loyalty to principle. “I know it’s hard, but you have to put country first”. “So to paraphrase Ted Cruz, if you want to protect the Constitution this fall, there’s only one possible way and that’s to vote the Trump-Pence ticket”, he said. You just don’t see that very often.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who spoke at the convention Tuesday night, ripped into Cruz, calling his action “totally selfish” NJ.com reported.
Manafort’s remarks conflicted with comments made by the Trump family as well as Cruz himself. Things got a little awkward.
The Texas senator, whom Trump derided as “Lyin’ Ted” throughout the primary contest, also told voters to “vote your conscience”. During the course of his speech, Cruz only mentioned Trump once, to congratulate him on getting the nomination.
Mr Trump sparked rumours about Mr Cruz’s wife and father. And that remains – at least for now – a hurdle too high for Cruz. People were so angry after the speech, Cruz’s wife had to be escorted out of the hall.
Mr Cruz arrived in Cleveland with an eye on his own political future, holding a rally with hundreds of supporters who greeted him with chants of “2020” – suggesting his backers have no interest in seeing Mr Trump become a two-term president. Math is on his side.
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“Of 17 talented, dynamic candidates, we beat 15 of those candidates”, he said. About half of the crowd stood up and gave him ovations whenever he defended his decision as principled and not personal to Trump.
