WINDHAM, N.H. — Ted Cruz birtherism is now a featured topic in Donald Trump’s stump speech.
After running through his typical set Monday – a quick update on his poll numbers, a reminder of his plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and several digs at his opponents – Trump launched into the newest of his recurring talking points: Cruz’s Canadian birth status.
“Ted Cruz has a problem because the question is: Is he a natural born citizen?” the leading GOP candidate told his supporters.
“Whether you like it or not, Ted has to figure it out,” he added. “It’s wrong to say it’s a settled matter because it’s absolutely not a settled matter.”
Less than 24 hours before his town hall Monday, Trump told a Crowd in Reno, Nev., that Cruz’s birth status is like a “cloud” hanging over his head.
“Is he a natural born citizen?” he asked. “Honestly, we don’t know. Who the hell knows.”
On Saturday, the outspoken billionaire told voters in Iowa, where Cruz currently leads several state-level polls, that Cruz’s Canadian birthplace would be an easy line of attack for Democrats in the general election.
“You cannot put somebody there, folks, who’s going to go in, and he’s going to be immediately sued by the Democrats because they’re saying he was born in Canada and he’s not allowed to run for president,” Trump said.
Before that, Trump offered the Texas senator a bit of unsolicited advice.
“I’d go and seek a declaratory judgement if I was Ted,” the billionaire told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer during an interview last Friday.
Trump has repeatedly said his questioning of Cruz’s presidential eligibility was provoked by the Washington Post, claiming they were the first to raise the issue during a recent interview, not him.
“This was not my suggestion. I didn’t bring this up. A reporter asked me this question,” the businessman told CNN.
But Trump’s decision to perpetuate the issue in less-than-subtle ways suggests he’s finally gearing up for a battle with Cruz – and he’s willing to go to extremes to win.
For now, however, the Republican front-runner claims he’s continued the conversation about Cruz’s birth status out of sheer concern for his closest competitor.
“I’m doing this for the good of Ted … I like him. He likes me,” Trump told CNN last week.
