Rubio, Cruz and Clinton aim attacks at Trump following KKK endorsement
Presidential
candidates from both parities turned their rhetorical fire against
Republican front-runner Donald Trump Sunday, with his GOP rivals
attempting to claw back into the race and Democratic favorite Hillary
Clinton tuning up for a possible general election run.
Senators
Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz stepped up their personal and policy-based
barrage against Trump Sunday, warning that the real estate mogul's
nomination would be catastrophic for the Republican Party in November
and beyond.
"We're
about to lose the conservative movement to someone who's not a
conservative and (lose) the party of Lincoln and Reagan to a con
artist," Rubio told "Fox News Sunday".
Trump
fired back, beginning his “Fox News Sunday” interview with an extended,
uninterrupted attack on Rubio, calling him a political “lightweight”
and “little,” adding that the first-term senator "couldn't get elected
dogcatcher."
Meanwhile,
Cruz warned the "Trump train" could become "unstoppable" if he rolls to
big victories in this week's Super Tuesday primaries. Cruz cast Trump
as a carbon copy of Clinton and suggested that not even Trump "knows
what he would do" as president.
“The
only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump is mine,” said the Texas
senator, arguing that 65 percent of GOP voters don’t support Trump. “The
only way to beat Donald Trump is to stand behind our campaign on Super
Tuesday."
Cruz
later became upset over continued questions by "Fox News Sunday" host
Chris Wallace about the integrity of his campaign, following allegations
about so-called dirty tricks that resulted in the forced resignation of
spokesman Rick Tyler. Cruz accused Wallace of using Trump opposition
research to frame questions and ended the interview in silence.
Later
Sunday, Rubio mocked Trump's physical characteristics in addition to
his policy positions, telling a heavily college-age crowd of around
3,000 at Roanoke College in Salem, Va. that Trump "has these small
hands."
"You know what they say about a man with small hands," Rubio said as the crowd laughed. "You can't trust them."
Rubio also mocked Trump for his complexion, as he has before, accusing him of having a bad "spray tan."
"Donald is not going to make America great," said Rubio, again drawing cheers and laughter. "He's going to make America orange!"
In
the wake of Trump's endorsement this week by retired Ku Klux Klan Grand
wizard David Duke, Cruz suggested on “Fox News Sunday” that a hate
group supporting Trump was making recorded calls – known as “robo-calls”
-- telling potential voters not to pick a Cuban candidate. Cruz and
Rubio are both of Cuban descent.
In
an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union", Trump was repeatedly asked
about Duke's support, finally saying, "Just so you understand, I don't
know anything about David Duke, OK? I don't know anything about what
you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists.
Did he endorse me, or what's going on?”
During
a campaign event in northern Virginia, Rubio "refused" to repudiate
Duke -- "a well known white supremacist racist" -- despite being asked
repeatedly.
"We
cannot be a party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white
supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan," Rubio said. "Not only is that wrong,
it makes him unelectable."
Trump
reportedly knew Duke in 2000 and cited him, Pat Buchanan and Lenora
Fulani when explaining why he stopped considering a presidential run
under the Reform Party.
"The
Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr.
Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to
keep," Trump said, according to The New York Times.
Meanwhile,
Democratic frontrunner Clinton, fresh off a convincing victory in
Saturday's South Carolina primary, all-but-ignored Bernie Sanders, her
rival for the nomination, and turned her attention to the Republican
field.
No comments:
Post a Comment