What Trump meant is that most Cubans are Catholic. Its not like Cruz comes from an evangelical background of generations. That is what Trump was talking about.
And because of what you just wrote the Iowan evangelical caucus voter should think a little more about whether Cruz is an evangelical. No doubt he is christian but not so much an evangelical christian. In a contest for votes Trump is putting doubt in some of the voters minds.
Exactly. Trump knows most Evangelicals distance themselves from just about anything remotely Catholic. That branch of Protestantism has its origins with people who wanted to purge Christianity of as many Roman Catholic practices as possible. So Trump is saying, “Cruze might not really be one of us - most of those people [Cubans] are Roman Catholic. How can you be sure Cruze isn’t a closet Catholic?” So Trump is paintting Cruz as a foreigner, in a sense.
I think Trump underestimates Evangelicals. I think most of them would happily accept a conservative Catholic president. And Cruze is about as Catholic as the Baptist church downtown, anyway. But Trump thought he could score points by making a jab at Catholics and insinuating that Cruze is really one of “those people.” I think someone who is really thinking long-term would not be dividing Protestants and Catholics like that.