Ted Cruz Faces Major Backlash For Refusing To Endorse Donald Trump At RNC


Ted Cruz is facing major backlash for refusing to endorse presidential nominee Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention. Not only did Cruz not endorse Trump, but he seemed to be encouraging fellow Republicans to not vote for him, telling them to vote their conscience.

In an interview with the Telegraph, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who many had speculated would be chosen as Trump’s running mate, said that Ted Cruz will not be welcome at future Republican party events. Gingrich went on to call Cruz’s actions “selfish and destructive.” It was also reported that Sheldon Adelson refused to let Cruz into his suite after his speech at the RNC.

Robert Mercer and Rebekah Mercer, two of Cruz’s top donors, gave a statement to the New York Times where they expressed their displeasure with Cruz’s behavior. Given that the two influential Republicans rarely give statements to the media, their public smack down of Ted Cruz is even more significant. Particularly since Cruz is up for re-election in 2018, and he already said he would be running for President in 2020.

In their statement, the Mercers pointed out that Ted Cruz pledged more than once that he would support the eventual Republican nominee, and they expressed their “disappointment” that he has gone back on that pledge.

“The Democratic Party will soon choose as their nominee a candidate who would repeal both the First and Second Amendments of the Bill of Rights, a nominee who would remake the Supreme Court in her own image. We need ‘all hands on deck’ to ensure that Mr. Trump prevails. Unfortunately, Senator Cruz has chosen to remain in his bunk below, a decision both regrettable and revealing.”

The Mercers donated more than $11 million to the Keep The Promise 1 Super Pac for Cruz’s presidential campaign. If he hopes to be re-elected in 2018 and run a successful bid for the presidency in 2020, alienating his donors is not the best strategy.

Republican National Convention [Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
During Ted Cruz’s speech, the crowd booed loudly and chanted “we want Trump” trying to drown out what Cruz was saying. Things got so heated in the Quicken Loans Arena that Cruz’s wife, Heidi, had to be escorted out by security.

The morning after his speech, CNN reports that Ted Cruz had a rough meeting with the Texas delegation, where he defended his refusal to endorse Trump, pointing out that the nominee attacked his wife and family.

The majority of Republicans may be out for Ted Cruz’s hide, but Hillary Clinton was certainly pleased. After his speech she tweeted his phrase, “vote your conscience,” and in a campaign stop with her newly announced VP pick Tim Kaine, she used the phrase again.

Interestingly, Echelon Insights reports that a poll of voters shows that they seem to agree with Ted Cruz’s decision to not endorse Donald Trump. Forty percent of voters approved of his decision, 32 percent disapproved, and 22 percent were unsure. This election cycle has turned conventional politics on its head, so it is entirely possible that Cruz’s gamble could pay off in the end.

If Donald Trump has his way, neither Ted Cruz nor John Kasich will ever stand a chance of becoming president. After staying on message during his 75-minute acceptance speech at the RNC, Trump unleashed on Cruz and Kasich in his usual abrasive manner. The Star reports that Trump plans to create and fund Super-PACs with the sole goal of ending their political careers.

Time will tell if Ted Cruz has ruined his career like many predict, or if voters will appreciate that he stood by his beliefs and refused to cave. If Donald Trump is defeated in November, Cruz’s decision may not seem so crazy after all.

So tell us what you think – do you agree with Ted Cruz refusing to endorse Donald Trump? Or do you think he should have fallen in line and honored his pledge?

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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