At a Texas delegation breakfast that erupted into chaos, Cruz sticks to his guns.
CLEVELAND — The Texas Republican delegation breakfast erupted in chaos Thursday morning as Sen. Ted Cruz explained why he was still not backing Donald Trump, even as he pledged not to vote for Hillary Clinton.
He didn’t intend to “go like a servile puppy dog” and back Trump after his the nominees attacks on his wife and father, Cruz said in one of his many passionate remarks during the breakfasts.
Cruz’s doubling down on his refusal to endorse Trump followed his spellbinding speech Wednesday, in which he urged Republicans to vote their “conscience” rather than calling on them to back the nominee, his bitter primary rival. That decision sharply divided even his home-state delegation, which has long idolized Cruz.
As the senator walked the Texas delegation through his thinking in giving Wednesday’s speech — he wanted to outline core conservative principles, he said, and the Trump campaign knew not to expect an endorsement (“Why not?” yelled a man) — his remarks were punctuated by a mix of heckles, cheers and anguished questions from the party activists who know him best.
“Are you going to vote for Trump?” one delegate demanded.
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“This isn’t just a team sport, we don’t just put on red jerseys, blue jerseys, and yay! This is about principles, ideas, standing for what we believe in,” he said. “I have to say it was somewhat dismaying that apparently some of Donald’s biggest partisans right down front, when they heard ‘you should vote for someone you can trust to defend freedom … immediately began booing. I gotta say, that’s a little bit troubling.”
Cruz spent several minutes explaining why he gave such a controversial speech the night before, stressing the need to champion conservative principles and to hold all candidates to those expectations.
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“The day that became abrogated was the day that became personal,” Cruz said, referencing Trump’s comments about his family during the primary. “I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father. And that pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you [attack] Heidi I’m going to nonetheless go like a servile puppy dog” and stick to the pledge anyway.
“You gotta get over it!” one man in the audience yelled.
“This is not a game … right and wrong matter,” Cruz shot back, as he also argued, “I would note, sir, you might have a similar view if someone was attacking your wife. I hope you would.”
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“What I wanted to do last night was lay out principles I believe we should stand for as Republicans,” he explained. “In that speech last night I did not say a single negative word about Donald Trump,” he continued to applause.
Cruz did, however, obliquely criticize the nominee’s handling of the convention speeches and agenda.
“If we go to November and the dominant word voters hear is Trump,” he said, “Or … if it’s Hillary or [her] email server, we’re going to lose. You want to know how we win? We win if the dominant message voters hear is freedom.”
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