-
Ted Cruz said Republicans are not criticizing Donald Trump for “smacking them in the face.”
-
Cruz said many Republicans were wondering how to “deal with Trump” and his inflammatory political style.
-
Cruz also praised policy achievements under Trump, who was once a staunch opponent who insulted his wife.
sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said his Republican colleagues are hesitant to criticize former President Donald Trump because if they do, Trump “turns around and punches them in the face.”
Cruz made the comments at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday while speaking to David Drucker of The Washington Examiner.
“Why are people on the Republican side hesitant to criticize Donald Trump? It’s a number of things,” Cruz said. “Unlike a lot of people in politics, if someone criticizes him, he turns around and punches them in the face.”
Cruz said he witnessed meetings in which “several Republican senators would criticize” Trump, who would then “spend the entire meeting just beating them with a stick.”
“I love what we’ve accomplished under Trump. I think there’s an incredible track record of policy victories,” Cruz said. “I disagree with many of the things Donald Trump says. And I’ve decided that I would not color comment on MSNBC for any tweet or statement that was clearly indefensible.”
“I think that’s the right balance, and I can tell you for any Republican, that was a complicated decision: how do you deal with Trump?” Cruz added. “If he does things that are good and commendable, I will praise him, and if he says things I disagree with, I’m not going to engage in the day-to-day color commentary.”
Cruz and Trump were staunch opponents in the 2016 presidential election, in which Trump made several disparaging comments about Cruz and his family, though he later apologized. Cruz later became one of Trump’s strongest allies.
Read the original article on Business Insider
