Cruz, who ran against Trump in the primaries, late Wednesday declined to endorse Trump during a dramatic speech at the Republican National Convention.
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“He’s very self-absorbed, he’s a narcissist and the rest of America now knows the Ted Cruz we know and I think he’s ended his political career”, said Rep. Chris Collins of NY, a leading Trump backer.
“It’s going to be a really important speech because it’s part of the reintroduction of Donald Trump”, said Lanhee Chen, a Hoover Institution scholar and former aide to 2012 nominee Mitt Romney.
Irate convention delegates predicted Cruz had committed political suicide by accepting a prime-time speaking slot Wednesday only to urge Republicans to “vote your conscience”, not vote for the nominee. Cruz finished second to Trump in the crowded Republican primary campaign and congratulated the GOP nominee on his victory. As he was wrapping up and when it became apparent that he might not be endorsing the candidate, the crowd began to chant, “we want Trump”.
“When he said in his speech that you could vote your conscience as long as it was for somebody who supported the Constitution, that by definition meant you’re not talking about Hillary Clinton”, Gingrich told CNN.
Cruz stood before thousands of angry Republicans and told them to vote their conscience rather than cave to what must have been overwhelming pressure from the party to support a deeply flawed nominee. I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. Walking out of the arena, one delegate reflected on Pence’s performance to a woman standing next to him, “Yeah it was a good speech”, he said.
Shortly after Cruz exited the stage to a growing round of boos, Trump entered the arena on the opposite side to sit with his family and watch his son Eric address the crowd.
This kiss between Donald Trump and Mike Pence was very uncomfortable.
Commentators left and right have pointed out that Cruz, a man who revels in his “rogue” status in the party, is likely hoping this can be his Ronald-Reagan-in-1976 moment.
“We were really waiting for him to show unity and really get behind the candidate, which he failed to do”, said the 49-year-old MI delegate.
Trump himself did not react to Cruz’s speech until after the speeches of night were done.
But it’s probably fair to say no one is doing more in advance of the 2020 race than Cruz.
Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, sought to put the Cruz appearance in a positive light, telling reporters on Thursday that the booing of Cruz increased party unity, “in a backhanded way”.
His campaign defied political norms – embracing racially inflammatory policies, offending key voting blocs, eschewing big-spending advertising campaigns and relying on saturated media coverage above campaign structure. He acknowledged the NY delegation’s displeasure with an evil chuckle.
Cruz used his convention speech as the foundation for a fundraising email for his Senate campaign: “Will you stand with me by making an immediate donation $5, $10, $25, or whatever you can afford today?”.
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Eighteen people were arrested as protesters tried to set fire to American flags, police said.
