It came as Trump rival Marco Rubio appeared on the cusp of a breakthrough following a break-out debate performance. And I’m looking and I’m getting ready because, you know, it’s like a lot of people, I’m a pretty strong guy. They show he and his wife Heidi brought in an annual average of $1,131,792, with large portions of their income coming from Cruz’s work in 2011 and 2012 at the law firm Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, and his wife’s work at Goldman Sachs.
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Trump regularly tells voters he’s self-funding his campaign, a claim he reiterated Friday night at a campaign rally in Oklahoma City, touting the unorthodox move as a sign that he won’t be beholden to big donors and special interests.
Clinton aides and allies also worry that Trump’s unorthodox constituency of working-class white voters might allow him to put more states in play – particularly Midwestern swing states like OH and Wisconsin – compared to past nominees like Mitt Romney and John McCain. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen.
Among the Republican nominating contests on Super Tuesday are Cruz’s home state of Texas, where he holds a lead over Trump, according to recent opinion polls. Cruz suggested Trump was balking because the documents might show donations to Democrats or groups unpopular with conservatives.
He mocked a series of mis-spelled tweets in which Mr Trump called Mr Rubio a “chocker” (choker) and said he had the “honer” (honour) of winning some polls.
Trump arrived with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who introduced him.
While Trump’s hard-line immigration policy (send ’em back, build a wall, make Mexico pay for it, etc.) has caused most of the hand-wringing within establishment GOP circles, the real danger for the likes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., is not in that single issue.
A win for Trump would be a big achievement because he has been the underdog here, and a loss for Cruz would be a devastating blow indicating rejection by the voters who know him best. It’s in Trump’s remarkable unpredictability and seeming willingness to say things for the sake of shock value, and then inexplicably stand behind them – in fiercely unapologetic always.
Interviewed on CNN, Trump said he had “badly” wanted Christie’s backing. “I said I’m about to witness history”.
Ted Cruz doesn’t think it will happen, but he’s acknowledging that a super showing by Donald Trump on Super Tuesday could perhaps seal the nomination for the billionaire businessman.
“Now this is a man who prides himself on not getting scared of anything”, said Cruz, who poked at Trump for “inheriting $200 million from his daddy”. Seated at a long boardroom table at the Willard Hotel, he erupted in frustration over the state of the 2016 race, saying Mr. Trump’s nomination would deeply wound the Republican Party.
Last year, a technology blog unearthed a 1927 news report stating that Fred Trump – Donald Trump’s father – was one of 7 men arrested during clashes between 1,000 KKK members and 100 police officers in Queens, New York.
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While Trump spends far more time assailing his Republican rivals, he has previewed some attack lines he would likely use against Clinton, describing her as a liar and failed secretary of state who would have been indicted over her email scandal were she not so cozy with President Barack Obama. “It’s at Mar-a-Lago, it’s during the season when you can’t get people, it’s very, very hard to hire people, qualified people”, he said.
