I was at this packed meeting in Coralville referred to. Ted was impressive, very casual and low key.
Posted on 11/30/2015 10:47:24 AM PST by GonzoII
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reiterated at a town hall in Iowa on Monday that he doesn't believe Donald Trump will be the Republican presidential nominee, as the rising Texas Republican moves against the GOP front-runner he was once loathe to criticize.
The Huffington Post reports:
.@tedcruz - "I don't believe @realDonaldTrump is going to be our nominee, I don't think he will be our president." pic.twitter.com/idXBixu1rb— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) November 30, 2015
Cruz has repeatedly declined to criticize Trump, acknowledging that he's going after the same primary voters who have been energized by Trump's outsider bid.
"I think in time, I don't believe Donald is going to be the nominee and I think, in time, the lion's share of his supporters end up with us," Cruz said in October.
At the Monday event, The Texas Tribune reports, Cruz said the media would like to see a "cage match" between the two, but that he has "consistently declined daily invitations" to go after Trump.
Citing a Krauthammer column, a man presses @tedcruz on why he has not called out @realDonaldTrump.— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) November 30, 2015
Still, there are signs that Cruz is preparing to make his move against Trump with only two months to go before the Iowa caucuses.
Last week, Cruz split with Trump after the real estate mogul openly mulled a national registry for American Muslims.
"I'm a big fan of Donald Trump's but I'm not a fan of government registries of American citizens," Cruz said in Iowa, according to Politico. "The First Amendment protects religious liberty, I've spent the past several decades defending religious liberty."
And on immigration, Cruz told the Associated Press earlier this month that "tone matters" and that "there some in the Republican Party whose rhetoric is unhelpful with regard to immigration."Â
Cruz did not mention Trump specifically in that interview, but said again that he doesn’t believe Trump or retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will be the party's nominee.
Buzzfeed on Monday flagged an interview with a Texas radio host from a couple of weeks ago in which Trump said he and Cruz have a “good relationship.†However, Trump also sought to diminish Cruz by saying that he "backs virtually everything that I said."
"He's a good man," Trump said. "He's a conservative guy. He's doing pretty well. He’s doing pretty well. Fortunately, he's not doing as well as I am, but these are minor details. He's doing pretty well and he's said wonderful things about me and he actually backs anything I do, because we have similar views."Â
"He's not doing this out of a weakness, he's doing this out of a strength," Trump continued. "He backs virtually everything that I said - wouldn't you say? I mean, virtually everything that I've said he's backed."Â
The jockeying comes as Cruz has been on a steady upward trajectory in the polls.Â
Cruz has surged into third place in Iowa, cutting into Carson's lead among Evangelicals in the state, and moving into third place at 18.3 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
Uh oh ...
Go, Cruz, GO!!
Go, Trump, GO!!
We win, they lose.
He already said that before, and Trump’s answer was pure class: “He’s got to say that.”
Just in time for caroling.
How about going after Hillary and the bamster instead?
I was at this packed meeting in Coralville referred to. Ted was impressive, very casual and low key.
Well Cruz needs to actually get past Rubio and Carson, whom he is firmly planted behind in polls (seriously stop pretending that a good showing in Iowa means anything), before making such stupid statements.
But it could just be a rally boast for the crowd.
“The Huffington Post reports:”
Unless there’s audio or video I’m not buying it.
Trump has it backwards. I really think trump has modeled his views after Mr. Cruz - who was teaching the constitution at age 14.
If trump doesn’t take himself out will be a joy to watch Mr. Cruz do it for him!
Hold your breath, Felito. Please. Cause it will be 150 degrees below zero in hell before DH or I will even THINK of voting for you.
It might be good to say “Barack will be gone from office on January 15, 2017 and the next president is not going to be a Democrat.”
What else would he say? He is running for POTUS against Trump.
Tempest in a Teapot, part VIII...
Oh, crap.
I thought Cruz would be happy on the ticket with President Trump!
Cue up the Clint Eastwood soundbite that reminds us that everyone has one (an opinion)
People aren't going to switch because of it.
Cruz is getting Carson people.
Yes, exactly.
What is a candidate supposed to say? That someone else will win and his supporters are wasting their time?
That's it..but he's way down nationaly.
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