The Republican convention erupted in fury Wednesday night when a defiant Ted Cruz refused to endorse Donald Trump and instead urged people to “vote their conscience.”
Members of the New York delegation began furiously chanting, “Endorse!” and “We want Trump!” even before Cruz finished, when it became apparent he was stabbing the GOP nominee in the back to position himself for a potential 2020 White House run.
Cruz paused, smiled and responded snidely, “I appreciate the enthusiasm of the New York delegation.”
Trump’s family sat stone-faced and Trump himself walked into the arena at the tail end of Cruz’s speech, stealing the Texas senator’s thunder as the crowd kept booing Cruz and cheering the nominee.
“He’s a disgrace and a liar. He’s a self-centered liar and fraud. Lying Ted,” Long Island Rep. Peter King said of his congressional colleague.
“I never trusted him. I’ve never liked him and I think he’s disqualified himself from ever being considered as the Republican nominee for president.”
A man in the donor suite was so angry, he had to be prevented from attacking Cruz after the senator’s speech, and Cruz’s wife, Heidi, had to be escorted to safety, according to CNN.
“Some people on donor suite level so angry at @tedcruz they called him disgrace to his face; one man had to be restrained,” the network’s Dana Bash tweeted.
“HEIDI CRUZ escorted out by security as crowd gets angry at Cruz for his speech. One Trump supporter shouting ‘Goldman Sachs!’ ” at her, CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted, a reference to loans the Cruz campaign took from the banking giant, where Heidi was once an investment manager.
