The senator from Texas, who bitterly clashed with Trump during the last couple of months of the Republican primary calendar, refused to endorse the GOP presidential nominee during his address, and urged Republicans to vote “their conscience” rather than to rally around the party’s nominee.
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As the GOP primary came down to the two candidates this spring, Trump and his surrogates attacked Cruz’s family.
After taking questions from Texas delegates at a breakfast in Cleveland – and explaining that “I am not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my father” — the delegation devolved into bitter infighting.
The delegates said they were optimistic that Trump would close out the convention Thursday on a high note.
Susan Hutchison, chair of the Washington delegation, said she confronted Cruz after his speech and called him a “traitor to the party”.
It’s the personal issues Cruz referred to when asked Thursday why he didn’t clearly state his support for Trump in his late-evening address.
Delegates chanted Mr Trump’s name and implored Mr Cruz to voice his support for the businessman, to no avail. Adding he would not be “a servile puppy dog” to the Trump campaign. “I am here to tell you there is a better vision for our future”. “It is not politics, right and wrong matters”.
“I assume the reason they wanted me to speak is they believed my delivering that message would encourage people to come out and vote, and they believed it would help”.
“I think we’re going to win in North Carolina because of her”, Eric Trump said, looking to his wife.
According to media reports, Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson would not let Cruz into his suite at the convention following the speech.
“I think it’s important that Americans get to see what Donald Trump is really like and (Donald Jr.) has given us important insight into that”, Willette said. “And citizens are furious, rightly furious, at a political establishment that cynically breaks its promises and ignores the will of the people”, Cruz said at one point, to a standing ovation.
O’Brien had departed Cleveland by Thursday morning, in advance of the Trump speech. “Stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution”.
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On the day he claims the presidential nomination of Abraham Lincoln’s political party, Donald Trump has started things off with social-media missiles fired against the embarrassed losers still refusing to back him. “The party is definitely more unified – there are a number of Cruz delegates who were on the floor today … who disagree with what Mr Cruz said”, Manafort said.
