“If you love our country and love your children as much as I know that you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience”, he said as the crowd erupted into yells of anger.
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But he believes Cruz “used very bad judgment”, adding that “he was not respectful to the invitation by the convention to come and speak”.
Paul Manafort told NBC’s “Today” Thursday that Trump invited his primary opponents to address the convention in Cleveland because “he views the primary process as over”.
Asked about a convention delegate who had reportedly called Cruz an “a-hole”, King replied: “That’s not far enough”.
Jarrod White, a delegate from Arizona, said that during the speech, Robert Graham, the Arizona Republican Party Chairman, came out to where the state’s delegates were seated on the floor, and began encouraging them to boo the Texas senator.
Manafort said that Cruz “understood what the responsibilities are, someone in his position”.
McShane O’Rourke, a Texas delegate from outside Fort Worth, said Cruz gave a “great speech based on the conservative values of the Republican Party”.
Oklahoma delegates at the Republican National Convention said Thursday they are disappointed that Cruz, who won Oklahoma’s presidential primary in March but lost the nomination to Trump, did not endorse the GOP nominee during a televised speech Wednesday night.
“The party survives and if you disrespect the party, people do remember”.
“I’m not going to get into criticizing or attacking Donald Trump, but I’ll give you this response: I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father”, Cruz said, adding that those attacks had undone his pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee. “And by the way, there’s a reason why others don’t”, Cruz said. He added that “now that cloud is lifted off” Mrs. Trump.
Trump supporter Ann Coulter tweeted a joke referring to the senator’s Calgary birthplace.
When asked about King’s comment, Republican National Committee communications director Sean Spicer told CNN, “I’d probably use the same verbiage”.
“We saw in him why Donald Trump chose him as vice president: that was a solid leader”.
The late hour – the speech didn’t wrap up until after 11 p.m. – may have also contributed to the fact that at one point, more than 20 seats in the Tennessee delegation were empty as Pence addressed the convention.
Kasich has refused to endorse Trump and the governor has refused to go to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland where the convention was taking place, although he has made public appearances in the area.
Indeed, the incident can be laid at the feet of Donald Trump for another reason.
The most important speech of his presidential campaign will bring down the balloons Thursday night on a convention marked by divided loyalties and unwanted distractions.
Wednesday was supposed to be Mike Pence’s night but Ted Cruz’s lack of endorsement stole the show: He was the top most searched speaker.
Trump repeatedly mocked Cruz throughout the campaign as “Lyin’ Ted”.
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“We not only booed, but we screamed ‘get him out of here, get him out of here, ‘” said alternate California delegate Ann Marie Villicana.
