In an interview with Politico on Monday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz had a word of warning for fellow Republican presidential candidates who are slamming GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
“I would … note that an awful lot of Republicans, including other Republican candidates, have gone out of their way to smack Donald Trump with a stick. Now I think that’s just foolish,” he said.
Asked why, Cruz paused and then replied, “Donald Trump had a rally in Phoenix, Ariz. [to which] between 10 and 20 thousand people came out. When you attack and vilify the people at that rally as crazies, it does nothing to help Republicans win in 2016. I’d like every single person at that rally to show up and vote in 2016, knock on doors with energy and passion, and turn this country around. If Washington politicians show contempt and condescension to those [voters,] that is a path to losing at the ballot box.”
And when asked whether he wants those voters to eventually support him, he replied, “It is my hope to earn the support of the supporters for every other candidate in 2016.”
The Texas senator has been invited by reporters on a number of occasions to join the GOP pig-pile on Trump, but Cruz wants no part of that.
Cruz told the Politico he doesn’t want to engage in “Republican-on-Republican violence.”
When it was pointed out that he is one of the most outspoken critics of Republican leadership in Congress, Cruz explained that “he has no problem highlighting policy differences, and may do so down the road with Trump.”
“There are no doubts that there are policy differences between me and Donald Trump’s past policy positions,” Cruz said.
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