Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Thursday criticized the foul language their rival Donald Trump has used on the campaign trail during their respective stops in South Carolina.
The subject of Trump’s choice words came up after MSNBC aired video of a focus group of South Carolina voters viscerally reacting to Trump saying things like, “We’re going to knock the shit out of ISIS” and “You can tell them to go fuck themselves!”
Cruz said in Fort Mill, South Carolina that voters aren’t “excited” by a candidate who resorts to “vulgarities” when rattled.
“I’m not sure a lot of voters are excited about having a President, who when he gets rattled, when gets upset, begins cursing and yelling vulgarities,” he told reporters.
Cruz himself was the target of Trump’s cursing when he called Cruz a “pussy” at a rally. Trump insisted he was only repeating what one of his supporters said. “It was like a retweet,” he explained to Fox News.
Rubio framed his criticism of Trump’s profanity in terms of parenting during a town hall in Okatie, South Carolina.
“I teach my kids to be respectful. There are certain words you don’t say,” Rubio said. “No matter what setting you’re in, act with dignity and hold yourself up.”
Trump promised rally attendees Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that he’d stop using foul language.
“Even if it’s not a bad word, if it’s a little bit off, they kill me, so I won’t do it. I’ll never do it again,” he told the noisy crowd.
Watch their comments below:
