Trump threatens to sue Cruz unless his GOP rival apologizes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, accompanied by South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, speaks with members of the media during a news conference today in Hanahan, S.C.
HANAHAN, S.C. » Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump today offered rival Ted Cruz an ultimatum, threatening to sue Cruz over his eligibility to serve in the White House unless the Texas senator stops airing what Trump calls “false ads” and apologizes for what the billionaire real estate mogul called a series of lies about his positions.
With less than a week to go before South Carolina’s Republican primary, the GOP front-runner also reiterated that the 9/11 attacks happened during President George W. Bush’s time in office — an apparent attempt to overshadow the former president’s Monday campaign appearances on behalf of his brother, Jeb Bush.
The new attacks came as the race entered an increasingly nasty phase, with numerous negative ads airing on local television following an unusually caustic debate this past weekend.
Some of the harshest ads have been aimed at Trump, often using the political newcomer’s past words to illustrate his evolving position on issues including abortion and gun rights.
Trump also took aim Monday at the Republican establishment, accusing the Republican National Committee of packing its debate audiences with donors — a move he claimed violated the loyalty pledge he signed in September vowing to run as a Republican and support the party’s eventual nominee.
“I signed a pledge, but it’s a double-edged pledge,” Trump said at a luncheon in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. “The pledge isn’t being honored by the RNC.”
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
RNC spokesman Sean Spicer responded to the criticism by saying: “Ten tickets from the RNC went to donors — 10.”
But Trump saved the bulk of his criticism for Cruz. “If he doesn’t take down his false ads and retract his lies,” Trump said in a statement bashing Cruz, he will immediately file a lawsuit challenging Cruz’s eligibility to serve as president.
Trump has previously said a federal court should decide whether Cruz meets the constitutional requirement of being a “natural-born citizen” to serve as president. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother, and many legal experts have said he meets that test.
“Ted Cruz is a totally unstable individual. He is the single biggest liar I’ve ever come across, in politics or otherwise, and I have seen some of the best of them. His statements are totally untrue and completely outrageous,” Trump said in the statement.
At events in the Charleston area and at a rally in Greenville, Trump piled on, slamming Cruz as “the most dishonest guy I think I’ve ever met in politics, “nuts” and a “basket case.” He also questioned Cruz’s faith.
“He goes around saying he’s a Christian. I don’t know, you’re going to have to really study that,” Trump said at a freewheeling news conference.
Cruz responded to Trump during a question-and-answer in Camden, characterizing Trump as nervous about his standing in the state.
“Today Donald Trump held a press conference. He apparently lost it. I mean, he was just going on and on about how I was the most horrible person in the world because I keep repeating the things he said,” Cruz said to laughs. “And it’s an amazing thing. Have you noticed how rattled Donald gets when his numbers start going down? He gets very, very upset.
“But I guess the only explanation one can have is his internal poll numbers in South Carolina must be plummeting following the debate,” Cruz said.
Laurens resident Tom Kennemore, who attended Trump’s evening rally in Greenville, said he grows uneasy when Trump starts tearing into fellow Republicans. But he also appreciates Trump’s willingness to tell the truth no matter what.
“I’m done with establishment people,” he said.” The Republicans have taken the House and Senate and done nothing with it. We need a little more kick.”
Earlier, during an afternoon news conference, Trump also renewed his criticism of former President George W. Bush. While Trump would not say whether he considered Bush to be a failed president and declined to label him responsible for the 9/11 attacks, the former reality TV star repeatedly noted that “the Word Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush.”
Trump said his decision to go after George W. Bush — who made a pair of campaign stops on his brother’s behalf on Monday in South Carolina — was akin to his attacks on former President Bill Clinton, which began once the former president ramped up his campaigning for his wife, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
“If the ex-president is campaigning for his brother, I think he’s probably open to great scrutiny, maybe things that haven’t been thought of in the past,” Trump told reporters.
Trump said the real purpose of his news conference was to protest the Obama administration’s consideration of the Consolidated Naval Brig in Charleston as a potential site for relocating detainees now housed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Trump vowed to keep the prison open and stop the movement of any detainees to American soil.
Trump said the news conference had nothing to do with the former president. “Say hello to him for me,” he told a reporter who noted Bush would soon be appearing nearby. “Give him my warmest regards.”
He also dismissed the possibility that it might be risky to aim increasingly caustic attacks at a former president who remains a popular figure in South Carolina. Trump countered: “So am I.”
———
Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Camden and Jeffrey Collins in Greenville contributed to this report.
48 responses to “Trump threatens to sue Cruz unless his GOP rival apologizes”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
People who support Trump are every bit as brain dead as the candidate himself. It’s wonderful to watch the Republican party implode.
Klastri, we agree on Trump. I want him to sue Ted Cruz which will guarantee his losing the Republican presidential primary. Then he will run as an Independent and beat up on the Democrats to get Democrat votes, because he believes he already got the majority of the Republican votes. The GOP will not implode, but will get behind the other candidate they don’t like, Ted Cruz.
The establishment is even less friendly to Cruz. You do not seem to remember how little support he has in the Senate, much less the larger establishment. Several key establishment financiers have openly stated they will vote for Hillary if Cruz gets the nomination.
Those who support Clinton and or Sanders are also “brain dead”. LOL
LOL LOL LOL
For the life of me, I cannot figure out who to vote for. I believe this election will end up being a decision as to who will do the least damage over the next four years. With the world economy and stability in both the middle east and Asia, along with our own domestic problems, it looks to be a slippery slope for whoever ends up in office.
Vote Gary Johnson. We all should. This is the election to end the monopoly on the Whitehouse from both parties.
Wow, what a witty comment you make. Now about your party…
No more or less witty than the one he responded to..
Once the GOP field shrinks to 2 or 3 candidates, all the normal people votes will go to the non-Trump candidate(s). Hopefully, those will outnumber the brain dead votes.
Republicans are brain dead by definition. Thinking that one can balance the budget by reducing revenue and increase spending indicates that one’s brain has long stopped working. lol
Who really cares about the budget. It’s a number made up by the POTUS from how much he wants to spend. What we should be really concerned about is our debt. We can’t keep borrowing money from China to artificially ‘balance the budget’ just to have Obama appear as though he’s doing a great job.
Windward_Side, the majority of our debt is not foreign owned. And China has been divesting out of US debt over the past year to cushion its coming recession. China is burning a $100 billion a month from its foreign reserves, mostly in US treasury bonds.
You’re clearly suffering from an insight disorder, one which gives you telescopic clarity regarding Republicans, but total blindness when it comes to democrats. Here’s some therapy in the form of a list of democrat braininess/accomplishments over the last 7 years:
Inflaming an ever increasing racial divide.
Impoverishing the largest progressive run state, California, with the highest percentage of those living under the poverty line.
Ignoring our soon to be insolvent entitlement programs (Social Security Disability next year).
Presiding over the slowest economic recovery, the lowest labor participation rate in 4 decades.
Squandering US influence in the world at the expense of vital national interests, particularly the Middle East.
Negotiating a nuclear agreement that will set of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and actually shelter the Iranian nuclear weapons program.
An immigration policy that amounts to the dissolution of our borders in order to import democrat party voters.
Use of the IRS like a sort of political gestapo to shut up conservative groups.
Supporting the sale of baby body parts.
These appear to be the guiding principles of the Democrat party, either by design or by ignorance, aimed at a slow destruction of the country.
You are well qualified to identify a lack of brain activity.
@Winston, I disagree with your list:
“Inflaming an ever increasing racial divide.” How in the world are Dems inflaming this? It’s “inflamed” by the unequal treatment people of different races get in this country.
“Ignoring our soon to be insolvent entitlement programs (Social Security Disability next year). The Dems aren’t ignoring them, they’re saving them!” It’s the Repubs that want to do away w/them.
“Presiding over the slowest economic recovery, the lowest labor participation rate in 4 decades.” You’re not looking at this in context. We nearly had a major depression post 2008. Thanks to Obama’s stewardship, the ship of state did not sink. The recovery has been steady. Yes, not as fast as we’d like, but it continues to get better.
“Squandering US influence in the world at the expense of vital national interests, particularly the Middle East.” I thought we’ve done very well in this dept. At least when I travel I’m not ashamed/embarrassed to say I’m American anymore (during the Bush years I always said I was Canadian).
“Negotiating a nuclear agreement that will set of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and actually shelter the Iranian nuclear weapons program.” I disagree that will be the result.
“An immigration policy that amounts to the dissolution of our borders in order to import democrat party voters.” Obama has actually deported more immigrants than the previous two presidents. And illegal immigration has been steadily dropping.
“Use of the IRS like a sort of political gestapo to shut up conservative groups.” Untrue. These were newly founded groups that didn’t realize the amount of paperwork involved in filing for non-profit status. (I’ve worked for non-profits and filing the paperwork was a source of dread). They didn’t do it correctly and were quite properly called on it.
“Supporting the sale of baby body parts.” No one is selling “baby body parts.” A “body part” is a finger, eye, stomach, foot, etc. You can’t use baby body parts. They are not fully formed yet. It’s fetal tissue that’s being used, something that goes well back 100 years (used in the development of vaccines, among other things).
The scary thing is, I don’t think Trump’s brain is dead – I think it’s seriously diseased and deranged. He fails to make even the most basic sense, and he exhibits strong symptoms of persecution complex and megalomania. He also frequently exhibits behaviors similar to those of a person on drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines. If the RNC is smart they’ll coax him into a clinic for an in-depth examination.
Why do people think Trump is dumb?
Trump has always been smart, but he’s also always been a loose cannon. Trump is essentially manipulating the most poor, most uneducated groups of the GOP by telling them what they want to hear. And he’s doing it in a way that makes the media cover him for free. That’s not brain dead. It’s manipulative.
Trump is totally unfiltered, speaks his mind and is unapologetic … and I like it. I may not vote for him but I sure enjoy his entertaining debates and TV news conferences.
Sad to say but the Donald is the best candidate the republicans have running. Certainly not Ted Cruz, a Canadian. Certainly not Marco who sounds like a little kid. We certainly do not need any more Bushes destroying this country. Go Donald. lol
Democrat do not have to bash the Republicans because they are doing that in behalf of the Democrats.
Stick it to him, Teddy! Never forget that the truth is an absolute defense to a charge of slander.
Of course, two can play that game.
I think they are all Bozos on this bus.
Bus is about to blow a head gasket from all that hot Republican air.
Regardless of the RNC says about how many tickets they gave away, prior to the debate, the RNC decided not to use a lottery system to decide who should be in the audience. Instead, most tickets went to elected Republican officials, donors, and other workers for the party picked by local, state, and national party officials. The result, it seems, was a room packed with Republican voters who overwhelmingly dislike Trump. Also, the first time Jeb has received more than a smattering of applause for anything he said since the debates started.
Cruz should be sued. He was born in Canada and he was not like old man McCain who was born in American territory. Lets see the documents that allowed Ted to be an American citizen. This is so much fun.
My puppies were born in America. Maybe they could run for office?
They might make better candidates.
Today, Public Policy Polling released their latest poll from South Carolina. Here are the results of questions posed to Trump supporters:
“Trump’s support in South Carolina is built on a base of voters among whom religious and racial intolerance pervades. Among the beliefs of his supporters:
-70% think the Confederate flag should still be flying over the State Capital, to only 20% who agree with it being taken down. In fact 38% of Trump voters say they wish the South had won the Civil War to only 24% glad the North won and 38% who aren’t sure. Overall just 36% of Republican primary voters in the state are glad the North emerged victorious to 30% for the South, but Trump’s the only one whose supporters actually wish the South had won.
-By an 80/9 spread, Trump voters support his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States. In fact 31% would support a ban on homosexuals entering the United States as well, something no more than 17% of anyone else’s voters think is a good idea. There’s also 62/23 support among Trump voters for creating a national database of Muslims and 40/36 support for shutting down all the mosques in the United States, something no one else’s voters back. Only 44% of Trump voters think the practice of Islam should even be legal at all in the United States, to 33% who think it should be illegal. To put all the views toward Muslims in context though, 32% of Trump voters continue to believe the policy of Japanese internment during World War II was a good one, compared to only 33% who oppose it and 35% who have no opinion one way or another.”
Just wait until Cruz hires the greenhorn lawyers from the ACLU.
Sarge, Winston, Maipono….why aren’t you guys weighing in on this? Always so critical and free to toss any kind of garbage comments at democrats, why do you go into hiding with articles like this?
Well, for one, Trump is nuts, a vulgar, know-nothiing who should never be president. The man is winging a run for the presidency, making no visible effort to understand any issues except the extent of populist anger at the central government.
It’s a similar thing with Clinton. The Republican-bashers here conveniently forget that Sanders isn’t even a democrat. He’s an independent, a Democratic Socialist who just happens to sit with the democrats in congress. He is absolutely as extreme and crazy as Trump, tapping into anger at the government.
If these two win their nominations, it will represent a popular revolt, a signal that both parties have failed. Seems obvious. However, Sanders can’t win because the democrat party has already stacked the deck in favor of Clinton by virtue of their undemocratic super delegate scheme (Hillary, in spite of a tie and a loss, is now way ahead of Bernie in delegate count).
So, unless indicted, she’ll get the nomination. If she and Trump are the nominees, then it will just be a coin toss as to which will do the most damage to the country.
Ah, I do thank you for the thoughts on Trump, and unusual as it might be, we agree on something.
Sorry, I didn’t look it up, but as a percentage of total delegates per party, aren’t the republican and democrats pretty much the same as far as super delegates go?
Probably, but I’ve read that the democrats have a less than democratic way of allocating the super delegates when compared to Republicans. That’s from a secondary source, so I’d have to do more reading on the matter.
I hope that for both of our sakes, the public and the delegates get rid of trump.
Trump doesn’t need any help. He’s doing rather well all by himself and doesn’t need mommy, daddy, brother or spouse to prop him up. He lost a few battles but is winning the war.
Are you really going to vote for this guy?
We should be surprised if Sarge doesn’t.
The bulk of Trump’s supporters are the poor, middle aged whites with little education.
In case you missed my other post, the NY Times, the BBC and others all have Trump’s main supporters as being under-educated and less affluent. Just saying.
Thanks for the compliment. I thought Trump supporters were all brain dead, racist, haters and nut cases. Why is everyone so worried about Mr Trump, our next president. From all the negative comments he must not have a chance in h3ll.
Why aren’t they responding? For the same reason boots, wiliwili, blues, and a few other brainwashed posters are effectively silent whenever another Hillary story comes out. Embarrassment. Why is it that there are credible candidates that remain on the sidelines? Independents are fielding a better man than any of the top runners in either party. And Paul has simply walked away, while no one listens to Kasich. Aren’t you ashamed that Sanders and Clinton are the best your party can come up with? We’re all facing a no win situation here, and the days keep going by.
Hillary continues to spin lies about what happened at Benghazi. She needs to come clean and admit that she lied to the families that lost their loved ones.
Rubio will win the GOP nomination. Cruz and Trump will eliminate themselves.
Rubiobot will need a serious firmware and software upgrade for that even to be a possibility. Christie revealed that Rubio is little more than a mechanical parrot.
Another vote for Trump. The poor, middle aged whites with little education don’t understand Rubio.
If trump wins I guarantee he’ll ask Rubio to run as VP.
LoL … you’re right, Christie really *itchslapped him with that revelation.
Boy, this is the best new series I’ve seen on TV for quite some time! You never know what’s going to happen next.