GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump stated during a news conference on Monday that he plans to sue Texas Senator Ted Cruz for presidential eligibility if the latter does not take down his anti-Trump ads.
Trump, 69, specified the details of the alleged lawsuit in a written statement. He said that if Cruz, 45, won’t take down the ads against him, he will sue him for his eligibility to run for the highest seat in the country and cite the fact that he was born in Canada.
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
Ted Cruz was born in Alberta, Canada, although his mother was an American citizen. He moved to Texas at a young age and grew up in the United States.
“I have never, ever met a person that lies more than Ted Cruz,” said Donald Trump during the press conference.
“I have never ever met a person that lies more than @TedCruz ,” says @realDonaldTrump in S.C. https://t.co/5SfBxsrj84 https://t.co/I2kJ460Ysr
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 15, 2016
He further elaborated by mentioning instances wherein Cruz said that if Trump were elected, he would waste no time appointing judges who oppose the Second Amendment gun rights. The senator also accused the TV personality of supporting abortion rights, government-run health care, and other Democratic candidates and causes.
“It is hard to believe a person who proclaims to be a Christian could be so dishonest and lie so much,” Trump said.
After #GOPDebate , @realDonaldTrump says @tedcruz “holds up the Bible, and then he lies” https://t.co/VN24Zzvvjm https://t.co/i5DJUNitZf
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 14, 2016
While the threats against Cruz are nothing new, what caught the media off guard is another threat to leave the GOP.
The billionaire has opened once more the possibility of leaving the Republican wing and run as an independent candidate instead.
In the conference, he said that the Republican National Committee is departing from its previous pledge to treat him fairly. This has begun to happen since crowds of people booed him in previous debates.
The real estate mogul has also asked help from the RNC to condemn Cruz for his offensive ads against him.
The pledge, which the RNC and Donald Trump signed in September, states that Trump will not run as an independent for the presidency if he fails to win the Republican nominations.
BREAKING: Donald Trump says he has signed RNC pledge to not run as independent candidate. http://t.co/TRAddBCdSA pic.twitter.com/MWpqteTI8w
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) September 3, 2015
“The RNC is in default,” Trump said in a Tuesday press conference. “When somebody’s in default, that means the other side can do what they have to do … We’ve warned them twice, and they don’t listen.”
Trump added that if the RNC indeed defaults on its pledge to treat him fairly and chooses to side with Cruz, then he would not be bound by his own pledge to support whoever wins the Republican nomination.
WATCH: @realDonaldTrump says RNC “in default of their pledge” https://t.co/PCbawDYXQW https://t.co/PQ1O0x7lvL
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 15, 2016
The winner of the New Hampshire primaries also said that the entire establishment is controlling the RNC, and that is why there haven’t been any Republican presidents in a long time.
Trump first threatened that he would run as an independent candidate in August, although he hadn’t mentioned it again since forming an agreement with the RNC. In fact, he even said in December that he doesn’t win the nomination he would still support the eventual winner .
However, considering the way things are going – Cruz launching a scathing anti-Trump commercial and the RNC doing nothing about it – Donald Trump is clearly frustrated despite leading the South Carolina polls.
As early as Saturday, it was apparent that Trump was miffed at how things are going in his party. He lashed out at his fellow candidates – Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and former Governor Jeb Bush – during the CBS Republican debate.
#GOPDebate : Donald Trump attacks the Bush family https://t.co/JkwRn0IqkU pic.twitter.com/xomdD7Jzp9
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 14, 2016
Donald Trump used a combative style to answer the questions thrown at him and cut off other candidates while they were speaking. A report stated that his behavior during the debate “raised questions” about whether his temperament would be suitable for the most important job in the country.
[Image by Joe Raedle, Getty Images]
