In Newest Assault, Trump Goes After Cruz, Rubio, Bush, RNC — And Bush
It’s been a fun Monday for Donald Trump: He’s lashed out at his rivals, slammed the last Republican president, talked up a birther-style lawsuit against Ted Cruz — and even threatened once more to potentially run as a third-party candidate if the Republican National Committee doesn’t bow down to him.
Trump put out a press release in the afternoon, slamming Ted Cruz as “the single biggest liar I’ve ever come across, in politics or otherwise, and I have seen some of the best of them.” But most ominously, he called for the Republican National Committee to intervene against Ted Cruz’s falsehoods, “and if they don’t they are in default of their pledge to me.”
That “pledge” refers to the party’s promises, when Trump signed the pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee, to treat him “fairly” as a candidate. Trump now says that the RNC is failing to do so, thus forfeiting any obligation he made to them.
Trump spoke at a fiery press conference, where among other things he demeaned both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in practically the same breath.
“I think I deal with pressure well. I mean, I’ve won many club championships. You have to deal with pressure. You know, I deal with pressure, that’s what I do. My whole life has been pressure, and I like pressure, I really do like pressure,” he insisted.” But I don’t think Cruz deals well with pressure — I think he’s a basket-case. I mean, he thought he was gonna win New Hampshire, and he lost it. Not only did he lose — he lost big league. I think that Cruz does not handle pressure well.”
He continued: “I don’t think that Rubio handles pressure well. You saw that it in his run-in with Christie. I mean, I was standing next to Rubio, and I thought he just got out of a swimming pool — he was soaking wet. I mean, you know, so I don’t think he handles pressure well. I just don’t see him negotiating — look, I don’t see that personality negotiating with Putin, like (points toward himself) this personality, okay?”
Trump also dug in further on the attack he launched at this past Saturday’s Republican debate, in which he slammed former President George W. Bush, brother of his current rival Jeb Bush, as having actually failed to protect America from the 9/11 attacks, in addition to the “disaster” of the Iraq War.
“Look, when somebody attacks me like Jeb, at one of the debates — and I was very nice to him at the Ronald Reagan (Library), I didn’t say it, I didn’t want to say it — but he talked about the tremendous safety,” Trump said, referring to a debate from last year. “Well, excuse me, the World Trade Center came down during the, you know, the reign of George Bush. Right? I mean, it came down. So, during the Ronald Reagan, you remember the Library debate, he mentioned how we were safe. We weren’t safe. That was the greatest attack in the history of the United States — worse than Pearl Harbor, because it was individuals, we are attacked as individuals, as opposed to the military, the greatest single attack.”
“So when he’s saying — and I’m standing up there, I’m saying, ‘Do I want to embarrass him by saying this?’ But because I’m a nice person, I didn’t do it. But then when he used it another time, I had to say, ‘I’m sorry, but we weren’t safe — the World Trade Center came down, which was the greatest attack in history on this country.’ So you had that. You obviously had the war, which was a big mistake. I mean, I think few people would say the war in Iraq was a positive. You had him on the aircraft carrier saying all sorts of wonderful things, how the war was essentially over. Guess what? Not over. And you know, the war with Iraq is a disaster.”
The following is the complete text of Trump’s press release:
DONALD J. TRUMP RESPONDS TO THE LIES OF SENATOR CRUZ AND WARNS OF LEGAL ACTION
Ted Cruz is a totally unstable individual. He is the single biggest liar I’ve ever come across, in politics or otherwise, and I have seen some of the best of them. His statements are totally untrue and completely outrageous. It is hard to believe a person who proclaims to be a Christian could be so dishonest and lie so much.
Cruz said I would be appointing a liberal judge when in fact I will appoint a great conservative and I am the only candidate who has gone so far, at the debate, as to suggest two individuals I feel would best represent the conservative values we need to protect: William “Bill” Pryor Jr. and Diane Sykes.
Cruz says I am pro-choice, when in fact I am staunchly pro-life and have been for a long time. Like Ronald Reagan, on many issues, I have evolved.
Cruz says I am in favor of ObamaCare, when in fact I have spoken about repealing and replacing this disaster of a system at every speech throughout my campaign and since it’s inception. Meanwhile, Cruz was responsible for getting Bush to put in the judge that failed to vote against ObamaCare twice.
Cruz says I will try to take away your second amendment rights, when I am one of the strongest proponents of the right to bear arms and I say so in every speech that I have made for years. I am a proud member of the NRA and so are my sons.
Cruz has become unhinged and is lying with the hopes that his statements will go unchecked until after the election and he will save his failing campaign.
In Iowa, Cruz told thousands of Ben Carson voters that Dr. Carson had left the race and to instead vote for Ted Cruz. He apologized when the race was over. Likewise, his fraudulent voter violation form sent to Iowa voters. If Ted is going to continue to lie with such desperation, I have no choice but to fight back.
One of the ways I can fight back is to bring a lawsuit against him relative to the fact that he was born in Canada and therefore cannot be President. If he doesn’t take down his false ads and retract his lies, I will do so immediately. Additionally, the RNC should intervene and if they don’t they are in default of their pledge to me.
I am the strongest on the borders and I will build a wall, and it will be a real wall. I am strongest on illegal immigration, strongest on ISIS, strongest on the military and I will take care of our Vets. I will end common core and preserve the second amendment. I will renegotiate our trade deals and bring our jobs back to our country. I am the only person who will Make America Great Again.
