New York Rep. Pete King made clear Thursday he wouldn’t actually pop a cyanide capsule if nemesis Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) gets his party’s nomination for President.
“After I said that I thought, ‘my god, I am a man of my word, so I’ll have to live up to this,’” King said in a radio interview on L.I. in the A.M., first flagged by BuzzFeed.
King said he was “trying to make a point” because MSNBC host Joe Scarborough jokingly introduced him as “the chairman of the Ted Cruz for President committee.”
“I’m thinking, ‘jeez, enough people listen to this show or watch it they may think this is for real,’” he continued. “I had to think of something quick to say that would end that discussion once and for all, and it came out about the cyanide.”
The Republican went on say he’s been “amazed” by the response to his remarks and said his office has fielded calls from people who say they weren’t planning on voting for Cruz but would happily back him if King would make good on his promise.
On Tuesday, King told the “Morning Joe” crew: “I hate Ted Cruz. I think I’ll take cyanide if he ever gets the nomination.”
Listen to the interview via BuzzFeed:
