Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a popular figure in the state, spoke at the Trump rally but did not specifically endorse the New Yorker.
Advertisement
Cruz, who has 26% of the Republican vote share as against Trump’s 40%, simply said: “Listen, I will let Donald speak for himself”.
Cruz picked up the endorsement of conservative firebrand Glenn Beck, a counterweight of sorts to Trump’s endorsement by 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
“We need a new George Washington”, he said in a press release.
But even as Cruz mocks Trump’s early-morning tweets and his temperament, he appears to be particularly animated by bashing Trump for eminent domain, which conservatives typically see as an example of government overreach into the private economy. The ad features images of Trump on the cover of magazines and includes an interview clip with the real estate mogul saying, “I think eminent domain is wonderful”. I don’t intend to respond”, he continued, “I respect and like him, and I don’t want to engage in a mudslinging contest.
For other candidates, such remarks could have proved hugely damaging but not in the case of Mr Trump, whose poll ratings have defied conventional political logic.
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, Donald Trump-who created one of the most memorable moments of the 2016 campaign so far by sharing rival Lindsey Graham’s cell phone number on national television-suggested he would shift his rhetoric as president.
The battle between billionaire frontrunner Donald Trump and maverick Senator Sen. She also took something of a veiled shot at Trump’s detractors from the right who have criticized the candidate on some of his positions. “Had I not brought up the subject of illegal immigration, an issue which Cruz is very weak on, nobody would even be talking about it. I will build a great wall, and Mexico will pay for it”, Trump said.
During this election cycle, Kaufmann has introduced seven other GOP candidates – Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio and Rick Santorum – at campaign events, Szold said.
Beck’s endorsement comes as Cruz and Trump increase their attacks on one another.
Advertisement
Saturday was not the first time that Trump has raised eyebrows with his comments on the campaign trail.
