Sen. Ted Cruz, booed at the 2016 Republican National Convention for refusing to endorse Donald Trump, was sidelined from this year’s RNC. But the Republican lawmaker is still making moves to remain in the national mix and has plenty to say as the convention takes place this week in several remote locations, reports The New York Times.
Cruz, who ended his 2016 presidential campaign after failing to top Trump in the Indiana Republican primary, still aspires to get into the White House. He has changed his tune on Trump, though, and in an interview with the Times praised the president’s “remarkable policy success,” “historic economic boom” that preceded the coronavirus pandemic, along with tax cuts and deregulation.
Cruz in 2016 called Trump a pathological liar and serial philanderer but has not taken those comments back. Still, the pair have worked together, and Trump’s allies refer to Cruz as a faithful collaborator.
Cruz’s absence from the RNC floor may be a good thing.
“I think the smart money is to lay low and see how this shakes out,” Amanda Carpenter, a former Cruz aide who has opposed Trump, told the Times. “It is a huge risk for speakers to try to hitch their star to Trump in this moment.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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