Ted Cruz on Thursday night pressed Donald Trump at the Fox News debate on whether he was “lying” to people by publicly calling for tougher immigration laws, but privately accepting a more flexible position. But Trump replied by saying Cruz was the one who was “lying.”
At the event, Cruz called on Trump to release the audio tapes of a supposedly off-the-record interview Trump recently gave to the New York Times, in which Cruz claims that Trump may have expressed “flexibility” on immigration.
“If in fact you went to Manhattan and said, ‘I’m lying to the American people,’ then the voters have a right to know,” said Cruz.
Trump shot back, “I’ve given my answer, ‘Lying Ted,’ I’ve given my answer.”
At issue is a meeting Trump has said he had with the Times editorial board, part of which was off the record, meaning the contents of those portions could not be reported on or made public. But a report this week by BuzzFeed suggested that Trump may have professed “flexibility” on immigration policy, which he has had taken a hardline stance on throughout his campaign.
Trump said during the debate that he would not allow audio recordings from his meeting with the Times to be made public but he did say that as president, he would be willing to negotiate any policy.
