President Trump and Ted Cruz: Will Allies Become Rivals Again?
“All of us who are seeing these images of children being pulled away from moms and dads in tears, we’re horrified.”
Ted Cruz has proposed emergency legislation to end the Trump administration policy of separating families that cross the border illegally, a policy facing increasingly bipartisan criticism. “This has to stop.”
This is not the first time Cruz and Donald Trump have found themselves at odds with each other. “Donald, you’re a sniveling coward.” “This guy's a liar.”
There was not much that Cruz and Trump left unsaid in the lead-up to the 2016 election. “Donald is a bully.” “Lyin’ Ted.” “Lyin’ Ted.” “Lyin’ Ted Cruz.”
“This man is a pathological liar.” “Nobody likes him.” “Utterly amoral.” “A little bit of a maniac.” “Donald, relax.”
“Go ahead, I'm relaxed. You’re the basket case.” It all came to a spectacular showdown at the Republican National Convention when Cruz refused to endorse Trump. “Vote your conscience.”
Even as the crowd turned up the heat. “Endorse Trump! Endorse Trump!” But then, shortly before the election, he did a full 180, voicing his support for Trump after all. Since then, the epic feud has been lost in the annals of history, as Cruz aligned himself with the president. “This is an all-star cabinet.
You look at Judge Gorsuch. And then you look at the executive action. Or on the economic side. I think we’ve seen a lot of strong substance in this opening month.” Fast forward to now.
Cruz’s main rival is no longer Donald Trump, but Representative Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat now gunning for Cruz’s Senate seat. O’Rourke is breaking Texas Democratic fund-raising records and seeking to ride a wave anti-Trump furor all the way to Washington. “No wall is needed.
The U.S.-Mexico border has never been safer than it is today.” If O’Rourke won in the November midterms, he would be the first Democratic senator from Texas to be elected in over two decades.
“Texans don’t want to see a return to the high-tax, high-regulation, high-spending days of Barack Obama."
And while Cruz still has a significant lead in the latest polls, the race has been closer than expected and Republicans have taken notice.
So after Cruz extended a hand into the future in a radio interview with Breitbart in April — — Trump also let go of any bad blood on his side. “Full endorsement for this man.
Ted Cruz. Where’s Ted?” [crowd cheers] And this is how, with their eyes set on the prize, even two old rivals seem to have seen the ancient wisdom in party loyalties and pragmatic alliances.
What remains to be seen, is whether their alliance can survive this latest controversy.
