Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, thinks Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could accomplish something he couldn’t. Specifically, Cruz believes Warren could defeat President Trump in 2020.
Warning that his party was becoming “overconfident,” Cruz dismissed the idea that Trump was a shoo-in for reelection. “If we screw this all up,” Cruz told supporters Tuesday, the Texas Tribune reports, “you better believe the American people could elect President Elizabeth Warren.”
That’s dark, even for Cruz. But is it completely unthinkable? It’s hard to tell.
At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss Cruz’s remarks as conservative fear-mongering. After all, while Trump has struggled to find his early footing, Warren’s progressive star appears to be fading. The Massachusetts senator isn’t even a sure bet for her own seat, let alone the White House. A January poll showed that 46 percent of registered voters thought Warren should step aside.
Of course, Election Day is still a long way off. A lot could happen in the next 1,294 days. It’s no secret that Warren has been beefing up for a presidential bid.
Using Trump as a foil, Warren has increased her national profile, raising large sums, stealing the media spotlight, and publishing a new memoir. Thanks to the bumbling of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Warren even became a meme — “Nevertheless, she persisted.” Clearly, Warren’s not going anywhere (just like Republican legislation).
In less than three months, Trump’s big, beautiful agenda has been reduced to a heaping ash pile. Obamacare overhaul has stalled, tax reform delayed, and the promised border wall unlikely. Unless things change, Republicans will head into the midterms and then general election with little to show.
But Cruz wasn’t all doom and gloom. “If we deliver on all of this,” he said referring to Republican campaign promises, “it doesn’t matter who they nominate. We win.”
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
