The goal of his presidential convention was party unity.
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The most shocking thing about last night at the RNC was not that Senator Ted Cruz refused to endorse Donald Trump – that was as easy to predict as rain in April.
Trump added, “that’s just Politician 101”. Mr. Popularity in the Senate wasn’t winning that contest in Quicken Loans Arena either.
Trump speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland Thursday.
“No, this is not politics”, Cruz retorted.
“But it also elicited strong reactions in the hall, both supportive and in opposition”.
But people close to the Cruz campaign hope that he can give a speech that does not alienate the party’s Trump loyalists – even if Cruz himself does not say the word “Trump” from the stage. Ted Cruz wasn’t backing down. “More than party affiliation, I vote on based on what I believe is right, for my family and for my country”, Ivanka began her speech. “No big deal!” Trump said late Wednesday on Twitter.
“I think that the number of people who were disappointed with [Cruz] yesterday included many people who have supported him in the primaries”, said Dhillon, who added that she too was a Cruz supporter at times during the campaign. “I’m comfortable that Senator Cruz is going to talk about his vision for America”, Manafort said. He called on Trump to clarify Thursday night when “the world is watching”.
The only modern exceptions are President Gerald Ford, who assumed office only after the resignation of President Richard Nixon; President George W. Bush, whose father had been president; and now Mr. Trump. “We need a president who will advance American energy independence on all of the above, and I promise you Trump digs coal”, Pence said.
“Please, don’t stay home in November”, Cruz said.
Five Cruz supporters interviewed at the convention said they meant to vote for Trump.
But the question hanging over the address is whether Cruz will formally back the GOP nominee. “We have not abandoned who we are in this country”. Cruz will encourage Republicans to not grow dejected about conservatism’s future – similar to the well-received remarks he delivered in this city last week to the influential Council for National Policy.
“I have a lot respect for him, I think he’s a very smart guy”, incoming California national committeewoman and delegate Harmeet Dhillon told NBC News.
Trump brushed aside the controversy, insisting Cruz was an outlier in an otherwise unified party.
The problem for Trump wasn’t just the lack of an endorsement from Cruz.
The delegates took full advantage.
It fell to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whom Trump considered naming as his running mate, to try to disarm the tension in the crowd. “That’s alright”, Cruz said. “In this election, there is only one candidate who would uphold the Constitution”. It was a surreal moment given how carefully scripted political conventions normally are, and served as a fresh reminder that Trump events rarely go by the rules.
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On Wednesday, however, Lynne Patton, who runs Eric Trump’s foundation and is African American, stood on the same stage and declared: “There’s not one person in this room who can deny that, historically, black lives have mattered less”. I will not malign, I will not insult, I will tell the truth.
