Sen. Ted Cruz addressing the "scared" girl in New Hampshire.
Cruz mocks press for making him out to be 'Freddy Krueger'
Populist Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who just stormed through New Hampshire, said that he is receiving lots of support for a 2016 presidential bid and "it's very encouraging."
Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the Republican indicated that he is stepping closer to joining others in running for the GOP presidential nomination.
"I'm looking at it very seriously. And really we're measuring our support. And right now the support we're seeing, it's very encouraging," he said.
He also had a little fun talking about an address he made in New Hampshire during which he appeared to scare a small girl with his fiery rhetoric.
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When he said the "world is on fire," the girl said, "The world is on fire?" Cruz moved quick to calm her, but some media turned the situation into a firestorm.
Cruz mocked the national press corps' focus on it on "Morning Joe," noting that by the time story hit a crescendo, "I'm Freddy Krueger-like torturing this girl in her nightmare."
Cruz said he called the girl and told this story of what happened: "I'll tell you, it was funny because Julia, the little 3-year-old, she was in the background and her mommy said, 'Ted Cruz is on the phone! Who's Ted Cruz?' And Julia at the top of the voice said, 'The fireman!'"
The lawmaker who is very popular among Tea Party members and conservatives said the press coverage of his trip was revealing. "It's interesting — there's a big divide between local press and national press. And so, you know, I spent two days up in New Hampshire. The local press all covered the substance of what I said, the reactions of what happened. National press, it was all about the little girl and me terrifying her. I mean, you can literally read the story side by side as if they're covering Mars and Venus."
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.Humane Society: Obama has effectively ended 'canned' African lion hunts, Americans kill 90%
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