Ted Cruz, who last night refused to endorse Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump in his speech at the GOP Convention and was booed for it, defended himself in a speech to Texas delegates this morning.
Cruz said the pledge that he had signed to back the Republican candidate had been broken, blasting Trump for attacking his family.
RELATED: Ted Cruz Refuses to Endorse Trump, Gets Booed at Republican Convention Address: WATCH
Said Cruz:
“And I'll tell you today that pledge was abrogated. The day that was abrogated was the day this became personal. I am not going to get into criticizing or attacking Donald Trump. But I'll just give you this response. I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father. And that was not a blanket commitment that if you go and slander Heidi, that i'm going to come nonetheless like a servile puppy dog and say ‘thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father.'”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmQa7SQtVQM
Ted Cruz on Trump: "I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and who attack my father." https://t.co/3sRTdei3BV
— ABC News (@ABC) July 21, 2016
Cruz did not rule out endorsing Trump in the future:
“I am doing what millions of Americans are doing. I'm watching, I'm listening. As I told you last night the standard I intend to apply is, which candidate I trust to defend our freedom, be faithful to the Constitution. But I can tell you I'm not voting for Hillary.”
Trump tweeted following Cruz's speech:
Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn't honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2016
