Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his family had dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening and shared a picture on Twitter the next morning of his two daughters posing with President Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
“Our family had dinner w the President & First Lady, who were warm & gracious. Catherine brought Joe—her kindergarten class stuffed giraffe!” Cruz said.
On Thursday at the Capitol, Cruz was uncharacteristically mum on the details of the dinner. He gave reporters one and two-word answers, saying it was “terrific,” “productive” and the food was “delicious,” though he declined to disclose what they ate.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump enjoyed the dinner and that the two had “fruitful” discussions, focusing on both policy and personal issues.
Cruz ignored questions on whether Trump’s attacks on his family came up at all or whether the meeting had changed his mind in any way about the House GOP Obamacare replacement bill before quickly departing in an elevator outside the Senate chamber.
Our family had dinner w the President & First Lady, who were warm & gracious. Catherine brought Joe–her kindergarten class stuffed giraffe! pic.twitter.com/fJ5GvuZ98B
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 9, 2017
Cruz had told reporters beforehand that he might bring up Obamacare at the dinner. “It is principally a social dinner, but I am sure the conversation will turn to the repeal of Obamacare,” he said. Cruz previously called for a “full repeal” of former President Obama’s signature healthcare plan.
Republicans in the House have introduced a replacement plan, but Cruz said that in its current state it would not be able to pass the Senate. “The House bill is a beginning. The House bill as drafted, I do not believe, would pass the United States Senate,” he said.
Trump and Cruz have been friendlier to one another following a primary season that grew vicious. Trump floated the idea that Cruz’s father had been involved in the plot to kill President John F. Kennedy and mocked Heidi Cruz’s looks on Twitter after threatening to “spill the beans” about her, which Trump never clarified.
Cruz took to calling Trump “utterly immoral” and a “pathological liar”‘ while the billionaire businessman from New York liked to call Cruz “Lyin’ Ted.” After the primary, Cruz endorsed Trump, but not until months after the Republican National Convention.
Susan Crabtree contributed
