Alex Brandon/AP
- Ted Cruz showed up to stump for his GOP colleague Mo Brooks in Alabama on Monday.
- In his speech, Cruz mocked Republican primary candidates for professing "their allegiance" to Trump.
- 'I love Donald Trump! No, no, no, I love Donald Trump even more. No, no, I have Donald Trump tattooed on my rear end!" Cruz joked.
While campaigning for congressman Mo Brooks in Alabama, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared to mock other members of the GOP who have professed their "allegiance" to Trump in their primary races.
Cruz showed up at a town hall event with Brooks on Monday, coming out strongly in support of the congressman in Brooks' Alabama Senate primary race.
"Here's my philosophy when it comes to Republican primaries. I support the strongest conservative who can win," Cruz said. "We're not tilting at windmills. We're fighting to save the country."
"Have you noticed in a Republican primary that every candidate in the primary comes before you and beats their chest?" Cruz said.
"They say, 'I'm the most conservative soul that ever lived!' Just once, I'd love to see a Republican primary candidate stand up and say, you know, 'I'm a moderate establishment squish. I stand for nothing whatsoever,'" Cruz added. "That would at least be refreshingly candid and honest if they said that."
"And when it comes to Donald Trump, every Republican candidate on earth professes their allegiance to President Trump: 'I love Donald Trump! No, no, no, I love Donald Trump even more. No, no, I have Donald Trump tattooed on my rear end!'" Cruz joked.
He criticized these Republicans for not "(walking) the walk" while lauding Brooks for, in his opinion, having the "strongest conservative record in the Alabama primary."
Brooks thanked Cruz for his support, tweeting: "Senator Cruz's message was clear: our country is at stake, and if you want a proven conservative warrior fighting for you in the Senate, there's one choice, Mo Brooks. I'd be honored to have your vote tomorrow."
Cruz's strong support of Brooks came just days after former President Donald Trump once again slammed Brooks on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump wrote a post on Sunday, citing an article by the Alabama Political Reporter that said Brooks' campaign mailers were still bearing Trump's rescinded endorsement months after it was withdrawn.
"CAN'T DO THAT MO!" Trump wrote in response to the article.
Cruz throwing his weight behind Brooks also significantly diverges from Trump's established stance on the congressman. In contrast, the former president appeared to have bailed on Brooks entirely when he rescinded his endorsement in March, saying the congressman "went woke" on the 2020 election for encouraging voters to look forward toward the next election rather than back at the 2020 election.
The pulling of the endorsement in March came after close to a week of what seemed like mulling on Trump's part on whether or not to back Brooks while the congressman slumped in the polls. A week before pulling the endorsement, Trump called Brooks "disappointing" and wondered if the former congressman had "changed."
"When I endorsed Mo Brooks, he took a 44-point lead and was unstoppable. He then hired campaign staff who 'brilliantly' convinced him to 'stop talking about the 2020 election.' He listened to them. Then, according to the polls, Mo's 44-point lead totally evaporated," Trump said in his statement pulling his endorsement, once again referencing baseless claims that the election was stolen from him in favor of President Joe Biden.
Until the endorsement was pulled, Brooks had been known as a staunch Trump ally.
Brooks is now surging in the polls in Alabama months after Trump rescinded his endorsement — and amid a series of high-profile Trump endorsement flops.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/2btJiU5
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