Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:49 pm
After blaming Trump for the violence, Cruz went on to also blame President Obama for the violence and claim that Obama is just like Trump.
Video:
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Transcript via Meet The Press:
(BEGIN TAPE)
PRESIDENT OBAMA:
And what’s been happening in our politics lately is not an accident. For years, we’ve been told we should be angry about America and that the economy’s a disaster. And that we’re weak. And that compromise is weakness. And that you can ignore science and you could ignore facts and say whatever you want about the president. And feed suspicion about immigrants and Muslims and poor people and people who aren’t like us.
(END TAPE)
CHUCK TODD:
That’s the president essentially saying, “This has been happening for years,” before most of his term.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
You know, Chuck, Barack Obama’s a world class demagogue. That language there is designed to divide us. No, Mr. President, we’re not angry at that. We’re angry at politicians in Washington, including you, who ignore the men and women who elected you. Who have been presiding over our jobs going overseas for seven years.
Who have been cutting deals that are enriching the rich and powerful, the special interests and the big corporations, while working men and women are seeing their wages stagnating. And he talks about immigrants and Muslims. Mr. President, we’re mad at a president who wants to bring in Syrian refugees who may be infiltrated by ISIS. And you’re unwilling to be commander in chief and keep us safe. So don’t engage in attacking the people, like the president did. I’ll tell you, that language is the kind of self-righteous–
CHUCK TODD:
All right.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
–moralizing from the President that makes people angry.
CHUCK TODD:
You think that’s worse than what Donald Trump’s been doing?
SEN. TED CRUZ:
To be honest, I think it’s very much the same. They’re both engaging in demagoguery. We need instead a president who wakes up every day working for the hardworking taxpayers. If I’m president, Chuck, my focus is going to be the hardworking taxpayers, bringing back jobs and economic growth.
We’re going to do that by repealing Obamacare, by passing a simple flat tax. By abolishing the IRS, by pulling back the regulations that are killing small businesses.
At the most recent Republican debate, Cruz blamed Obama for the violence at the Trump rallies. On Sunday, he doubled down with the claim that Obama and Donald Trump are the same.
Listen to Sarah Jones and Jason Easley talk about Republicans blaming Obama and Sanders for the Trump violence:
Sen. Cruz is trying to both appeal to the irrational hatred that Republican primary voters have for the President while continuing his efforts to link Trump to Obama. What is most revealing is that Cruz refused to acknowledge that the years of divisive rhetoric that Republicans have used towards Obama has anything to do with violence at the Donald Trump rallies.
Republicans are taking zero responsibility for the fact that they created Donald Trump. Ted Cruz is wrong. President Obama and Donald Trump are not the same. The President Of The United States was telling the truth about the Republican Party. Instead of leading the effort to stop Trump, Ted Cruz has embraced the worst and most divisive elements of the Trump campaign.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
