Cruz defiant as GOP slams him on Trump non-endorsement
CLEVELAND — A defiant Sen. Ted Cruz declared Thursday he’s no “servile puppy dog” as he faced a torrent of GOP criticism over his refusal to endorse Donald Trump on the Republican National Convention stage.
Irate convention delegates predicted Cruz had committed political suicide by accepting a prime-time speaking slot Wednesday only to urge Republicans to “vote your conscience,” not vote for the nominee. Although the Texas senator had not been expected to offer an effusive endorsement of his primary foe, many GOP delegates had hoped and expected to hear some expression of support as they struggle to unite their party to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton this fall.
Instead they got the opposite Wednesday night as Cruz’s defiance ripped apart their showcase of GOP unity moments before vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence took the stage. The result was a moment of high drama in the convention hall, as delegates booed Cruz angrily and waved their arms, and some even rushed the stage. Only Trump’s sudden appearance in his family’s box, dispensing smiles and waves, quieted the simmering crowd.
Trump himself declared Cruz’s move “no big deal!” in a late-night Twitter post Wednesday. But on Thursday the Texan met anger and denunciations from many sides and was even heckled at a breakfast meeting of his own Texas delegation where a vocal minority of the large crowd was furious.