Sen. Ted Cruz said President Trump’s combative tone and provocative rhetoric, at times, poison public debate and prove politically counterproductive to enacting an otherwise praiseworthy agenda.
“I wish his tone and some of the things he said were different,” the Texas Republican said Tuesday in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “Many of the tweets — I’m not a fan of, and I do think it has coarsened discussion. So that is a less than positive development.”
Cruz’s critical assessment of Trump’s communications style comes as the senator has begun to establish independence from the White House, with endorsements in Republican primaries for House and Senate seats that oppose the president’s picks. Cruz was the runner-up for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, finishing second to Trump after a contentious primary. The senator has not ruled out a second bid in 2024.
However, Cruz remains broadly supportive of Trump.
During the majority of his interview with Hewitt, the senator lauded Trump’s accomplishments domestically and overseas. Cruz warned that a victory by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this November might hand Democrats control of the Senate and, overall, be disastrous for the United States. And despite lamenting that the president occasionally crosses the line with political attacks, Cruz said Trump’s willingness to engage with opponents is perhaps his most endearing quality.
“He fights,” Cruz said. “So many of us are so sick and tired of Republicans that roll over and whimper when encountering the slightest resistance. And I think probably the best characteristic about the president is he’s got a backbone. And he will fight.”
Cruz added, “He has driven the Democratic Party insane. They have lost their mind. They are galloping to the left. They are openly socialist. They are advocating abolishing the police. He’s also driven the media insane. They are equally partisan.”
