Donald Trump’s Supporters Acting Like ‘Union Boss Thugs,’ Alleges Ted Cruz
Donald Trump’s allies and supporters are acting like “union boss thugs” by using underhanded tactics to intimidate delegates, Texas senator Ted Cruz alleged at a CNN town hall meeting with Anderson Cooper last night.
“Donald and his team, it’s almost like they are subjects in a clinical course in psychology,” Cruz said to laughter from the audience.
“The conduct [Trump supporters] do, they accuse everyone else of doing.”
As an example, Cruz brought up Roger Stone, Trump’s political ally, who was threatening to “out the hotel rooms of delegates who dared to cross Trump so they could be intimidated.”
He added that they are acting like “union boss thugs.”
This was in reference to a Politico report where Stone specifically stated that he would “disclose the hotels and the room numbers of those delegates who are directly involved in the steal,” referring to delegates whom he believed want to steal the nomination away from Trump.
“We urge you to visit their hotel and find them,” he said.
Cruz errantly referred to Stone, whom Politico described as “a Nixon acolyte and master of political dirty tricks,” as Trump’s “chief political advisor.” While the two officially parted ways last summer, Stone has nonetheless remained “an informal advisor or sorts” to Trump and has spoken on his behalf on many occasions.
The Texas senator also accused Trump supporters of publicly posting the names, addresses, and phone numbers of Colorado delegates, purportedly in an attempt to intimidate them into supporting Trump. This tactic was documented by the Right Scoop, a pro-Cruz website that revealed the tweets while blocking out the contact information of those delegates.
Meanwhile, Steve House, Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, says he has received 3,000 angry phone calls, “with many being the trashiest stuff you can imagine.”
#Colorado GOP Chair bitches in article he's had over 3K calls from angry citizens. Sucks, when you can't just hide after hijacking election.
— Thomas Paine (@Thomas1774Paine) April 13, 2016
“Trump supporters were telling supporters, ‘Go to his house and bring [your] guns,” Cruz told Cooper. “Look, violence doesn’t belong in democracy, and the Trump campaign encourages it over and over again.”
Cruz had previously accused Trump of being behind allegations set forth by the National Enquirer that he had multiple extramarital affairs, which Trump has denied, according to the Washington Post.
Trump Threatened “Birther” Allegations To Disqualify Cruz, Rubio
Donald Trump has also threatened to sue over Cruz’s eligibility to be a candidate for president since the U.S. Constitution states that one holding this office must be a “natural-born citizen.” Cruz was born in Canada to his American mother and Cuban-born father.
If @TedCruz doesn’t clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2016
The Washington Examiner reported that on April 12, a New Jersey judge ruled that Cruz is a natural born citizen and can have his name placed on the ballot for that state’s primary. The Examiner added that Cruz has also won challenges in Illinois, Florida, and New Hampshire.
Trump had also previously told BBC News that he was “not sure” if Florida senator Marco Rubio was a natural-born citizen. While Rubio was born in America, his parents were both native to Cuba, which they fled after the Communist Revolution in 1959.
At the time, Rubio shrugged off the suggestion, dismissing it as “a game” Trump plays.
Where Trump, Cruz Stand in the Delegate Count
Trump currently leads Cruz in the delegate count, 755 to 545. Rubio, who dropped out last month, has 171, while Ohio governor John Kasich has 143, according to Real Clear Politics.
New York, Trump’s home state, is the next state that will vote in its primary, on April 19. Trump currently has a huge lead there, according to the most recent Quinnipiac poll, with 50 percent, to 27 percent for Kasich, and 17 percent for Cruz.
According to a new CBS poll, Trump continues to lead Cruz nationally, 42-29 percent.
Meanwhile, a brand-new ABC News/Washington Post poll rates both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz negatively. Trump had a 67 percent negative rating, which ABC News said makes him “the most unpopular top-tier presidential contender in more than 30 years,” while Cruz is disliked by 53 percent of Americans.
[Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images]
