Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Monday that he would “honor his word” to support Donald Trump if he were eventual Republican president nominee—as long as Trump doesn’t shoot anyone.
“I can give you one example where I would no longer support Donald Trump,” Cruz told reporters in Illinois. “If for example, he were to go out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, I would not be willing to support Donald Trump.”
Cruz was referencing Trump’s quip from January, when the real estate mogul said he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”
“At the outset of this campaign, I committed I will support the Republican nominee. And I honor my word,” Cruz told reporters. “When I tell you I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. Now, I don’t want Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee. I think we elect Hillary Clinton and we destroy the country if Donald Trump is the nominee. And that is why we’re working so hard to beat Donald Trump and we’re going to beat Donald Trump.”
Cruz conceded that Trump changes his stance on an issue “sometimes two or three times on the same debate stage” and reiterated that he thinks he’s the only candidate who can bring down the real estate mogul.
The violence that erupted at Trump’s rally on Friday in Chicago and forced the businessman to cancel his event seemed to make some of his other rivals hesitant to continue to keep their pledges to unequivocally support the GOP nominee.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) gave an emotional response on Saturday when he said that it was getting harder “every day” to keep the pledge and support Trump if he won the moniation. When asked Sunday if he would support Trump as the GOP nominee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said “it’s tough” before predicting that Trump won’t be the nominee.
Kasich has also said that he thinks Trump’s violent rallies will cost him votes in Ohio.
Here’s video of Cruz’s response:
.@tedcruz says he would no longer support Donald Trump if “he were to go out on 5th Avenue and shoot somebody.”https://t.co/c4DBh3khPc
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 14, 2016
I love it when Cruz tells reporters that “does what he says he’s going to do.” It’s like an abusive boyfriend who says “Baby, I promise I’ll never hit you again.”
Cheney: This is not logical on Cruz’s part. Trump will be the president if he shot and killed someone. I shot someone while I was VP. If I had killed him, I would have been next POTUS.
Question for Ted: If Trump slept with your wife, would you…?"
Ted, a quick follow up: Did you mean shoot someone or kill someone? If Trump shoots someone and the person lives, that would still be OK, wouldn’t it?
Cruz, Carson, Kasich, Romney, Rubio, a dash of Cokie and of course lots of Trump. First person to tell me what’s missing here wins a feathered boa from my collection