Politics

‘They’re Not Ted Cruz, Believe Me’: Trump Mocks Democratic Primary Debates

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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President Donald Trump mocked the recent Democratic primary debates from his Dallas rally stage Thursday evening, saying, “They’re not Ted Cruz, believe me.”

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Trump referenced the Democratic primary debates in mocking tones, saying, “In recent debates — did you see these debates? Do you believe what I’m competing with?” (RELATED: ‘That’s A Lot Of Emails For A Wedding’: Trump Digs At Hillary From Rally Stage)

The president then brought up the 2016 Republican primary for comparison, adding, “When I had to compete with Ted Cruz, that was brutal. You know, he was the national debate champion. A story I’ve never told. I never did that before. I ran for office. All of a sudden, I’m supposed to be debating tomorrow night.”

Trump went on to tell the crowd that he had initially hired a debate coach, but said that didn’t go very well. “I hired a debate coach, and he lasted for about 10 minutes,” Trump laughed. “I said this guy knows less than I do. He didn’t know anything. He didn’t know anything. It’s true. He said never, ever interrupt while they are speaking. I said, okay, coach. Put me in, coach. After a couple of those statements, I mean, I mean, you can’t beat Ted Cruz if you don’t interrupt him. It’s impossible.”

Cruz, Trump said, was always the one to beat with regard to the debates. When he realized that the Texas Senator had been a national debate champion, Trump said he went to Melania and said, “I’ve got a problem.”

“Ted was tough. Tough and smart as Hell. Tough. Good man,” Trump concluded. “But it’s true, it was Ted Cruz and he was literally I mean, national debate — he was the best in all of college and law school. And he’s a talented guy. In recent debates, you see these people, they’re not Ted Cruz, believe me. Hey Ted, you should turn Democrat, you would win in that group, right?”

The cameras panned to Cruz, who made it clear that would never happen.