“Senator Cruz was taking part in politics in 2012, attempting to make himself appear to be the most important conservative on the planet,” Gov. Chr
“Senator Cruz was taking part in politics in 2012, attempting to make himself appear to be the most important conservative on the planet,” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey mentioned in 2017. “What I mentioned on the time, each to him and to everybody else, was if you happen to symbolize a coastal state, don’t do that, as a result of your day goes to come back.”
Ultimately, it was one other man who would efficiently leverage Mr. Cruz’s firebrand techniques into the presidency. After a 2016 major marketing campaign by which he known as Mr. Trump a “pathological liar,” a “serial philanderer,” an “completely amoral” conspiracy-monger and a peerless narcissist, Mr. Cruz launched into a serious reputational restore marketing campaign aimed toward wooing again the brand new president and the conservative base that supported him.
Mr. Cruz’s capacity to seemingly put aside some deeply private insults — Mr. Trump advised Mr. Cruz’s spouse was unattractive and insinuated with out proof that his father had been concerned within the John F. Kennedy assassination — turned additional proof for his critics of the senator’s shameless political posturing. This 12 months, he led the cost to reverse Mr. Trump’s election loss, loudly selling his baseless claims of fraud and perpetuating conservative fantasies a couple of stolen election. Final week, he defended the previous president’s speech at his rally earlier than the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, saying his phrases weren’t an impeachable offense.
“Till Donald Trump got here alongside, this man was the most important performer in conservative politics,” mentioned Julián Castro, the previous mayor of San Antonio and housing secretary. “He was the one which was attempting to place himself because the id of the conservative second.”
Mr. Castro added, “He comes off as pretend and he comes off as way more issues about himself than anybody else.”
Texas Democrats like Mr. Castro noticed contemporary alternatives within the journey to Cancún, rapidly calling for Mr. Cruz’s resignation. Republican officers within the state, many sitting in their very own chilly houses, largely stayed silent.
“Candidly, I haven’t been following folks’s trip plans,” Gov. Greg Abbott advised reporters at a information convention on Thursday.