Donald Trump is again hinting at a possible independent run for president if the Republican National Committee (RNC) doesn’t condemn Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for his recent barrage of political attacks against the billionaire.
On Monday, Trump said that the RNC would be “in default of their pledge to me” if they don’t rebuke Cruz for his attacks, which include a recent ad stating Trump would appoint Supreme Court justices who would erase the Second Amendment. Watch:
Cruz has also recently accused Trump of “pretending to be a Republican;” of being in favor of Obamacare; and of being in favor of abortion.
“Cruz has become unhinged and is lying with the hopes that his statements will go unchecked until after the election and he will save his failing campaign,” Trump said on Tuesday.
Now, Trump says the RNC must denounce Cruz’s attacks, or be in violation of the loyalty pledge he signed in September. Under that pledge, Trump promised the RNC that he would not run for president as an independent if he doesn’t win the party’s nomination. In return, the RNC apparently promised Trump that they would treat him “fairly.”
“The RNC is in default,” Trump said during a press conference on Tuesday. “When somebody’s in default, that means the other side can do what they have to do. … We’ve warned them twice, and they don’t listen.”
“The bottom line is, the RNC is controlled by the establishment,” he added. “That’s why the Republican party for president has lost so much for so long.”
If Trump does decide to back out of the pledge, there would likely be no legal repercussions. As University of Virginia Center for Politics political analyst Kyle Kondik explained to ThinkProgress back in September, the pledge was not a legally enforceable contract. “It’s like the sort of pledge you get your kids to sign that they will do their homework, make their beds and eat their vegetables before they can play with your iPhone,” the Washington Post wrote at the time. “It’s a statement of intention, but not a binding one.”
The text of Trump’s full statement on Tuesday is pasted below (emphasis added):
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. It is hard to believe a person who proclaims to be a Christian could be so dishonest and lie so much.
Cruz said I would be appointing a liberal judge when in fact I will appoint a great conservative and I am the only candidate who has gone so far, at the debate, as to suggest two individuals I feel would best represent the conservative values we need to protect: William “Bill” Pryor Jr. and Diane Sykes.
Cruz says I am pro-choice, when in fact I am staunchly pro-life and have been for a long time. Like Ronald Reagan, on many issues, I have evolved.
Cruz says I am in favor of ObamaCare, when in fact I have spoken about repealing and replacing this disaster of a system at every speech throughout my campaign and since it’s inception. Meanwhile, Cruz was responsible for getting Bush to put in the judge that failed to vote against ObamaCare twice.
Cruz says I will try to take away your second amendment rights, when I am one of the strongest proponents of the right to bear arms and I say so in every speech that I have made for years. I am a proud member of the NRA and so are my sons.
Cruz has become unhinged and is lying with the hopes that his statements will go unchecked until after the election and he will save his failing campaign.
In Iowa, Cruz told thousands of Ben Carson voters that Dr. Carson had left the race and to instead vote for Ted Cruz. He apologized when the race was over. Likewise, his fraudulent voter violation form sent to Iowa voters. If Ted is going to continue to lie with such desperation, I have no choice but to fight back.
One of the ways I can fight back is to bring a lawsuit against him relative to the fact that he was born in Canada and therefore cannot be President. If he doesn’t take down his false ads and retract his lies, I will do so immediately. Additionally, the RNC should intervene and if they don’t they are in default of their pledge to me. I am the strongest on the borders and I will build a wall, and it will be a real wall. I am strongest on illegal immigration, strongest on ISIS, strongest on the military and I will take care of our Vets. I will end common core and preserve the second amendment. I will renegotiate our trade deals and bring our jobs back to our country. I am the only person who will Make America Great Again.