One source familiar with the campaign inner circle’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly said Trump, his relatives and closest advisers were angry at Cruz and had expected, while not an endorsement, a warmer embrace of the nominee and less showmanship from the senator.
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Both Cruz and the Trump campaign acknowledge that Wednesday night wasn’t a surprise.
For his part, Cruz told the Texas delegation that “when I addressed the convention, I did it because Trump asked me to, and when he did, he didn’t ask me to endorse him”. Their speeches embodied the idea of one hand clapping.
Sen. Ted Cruz spoke at the Republican convention Wednesday night – and got booed. “I think it took a lot of strength to stand before a crowd, knowing that the RNC and Trump whips would whip up some booing”, she said.
For some time now, the two national political conventions that nominate a new presidential candidate every four years, have been, as television events, little more than days-long infomercials. And he asked, “What does it say when you stand up and say “vote your conscience” and rabid supporters of our nominee began screaming “what a disgusting thing to say”?”
He refused to say whether he would vote for Trump, who had maligned Cruz’s wife for her physical appearance and had suggested that his father was linked to late President John F. Kennedy’s assassin.
“There is a voter problem here”, Murphy said. “Now you have the Christian conservatives who have the most ideological concerns about Trump … getting the dog whistle that it’s OK not to be for Trump”. Cruz responded by calling Trump a “sniveling coward”. “I am not encouraging anyone to write my name in”. That’s when a Trump speechwriter, showing the campaign’s earlier denials had been false, acknowledged that she put Obama’s words into the speech, if inadvertently after Melania read them to her. “It’s just a missed opportunity to make his numbers better”. “And quite frankly, I think it was something selfish. But that could all be wiped out if he kills it tonight [in his acceptance speech]”.
Embarrassing displays of disunity also stretched through Wednesday.
Gov. Chris Christie admonished Cruz in a TV interview. Cheers of “Trump, Trump, Trump” almost drowned out the last lines of the speech. Across those five speeches, the closest thing to personal praise for Trump came from Walker-and even that wasn’t very personal. They’re green with the Washington state flag. “They want more of the same”. What politics are conducted go on far out of the sight of the cameras. He slammed Republicans who would “attack as a traitor anyone who would question our candidate”. McConnell took a similar tack when he said Trump would sign legislation the Republican Senate has already passed to authorize the Keystone pipeline, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and defund Planned Parenthood. “You have Donald and you have Hillary”.
The sum of Ryan’s praise for Trump was promising to look over his shoulder if he wins the election.
“I congratulate Donald Trump on winning the nomination last night”, Cruz said.
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-Billionaire GOP mega-donor and ideological puritan Sheldon Adelson barred Cruz from entering his suite at the convention, with one Adelson aide telling CNN: “When he didn’t endorse, they were stunned and disappointed”. “I could not be more proud of our vice-presidential nominee”, he began. I am watching and I am listening. You know what the results are impressive … “He’s a man of faith, he’s a man of conviction, he’s a man you can trust”.
