In a dramatic reversal from his controversial non-endorsement at the Republican convention in July, Texas Senator Ted Cruz firmly backed Donald Trump’s bid for the White House on Friday.
“A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment. And if you don’t want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him,” he said in a message posted to Facebook.
In response, Trump put out a warm statement saying he was “greatly honored by the endorsement” by “a tough and brilliant opponent.”
Meanwhile, rock legend Bruce Springsteen has described Donald Trump as an embarrassment to the United States, saying the Republican presidential candidate is a demagogue with simple solutions.
Springsteen, who has dramatized the plight of working-class Americans in his music, said he understands how Trump could seem “compelling” to people who are economically insecure.
On the other hand, President Barack Obama had a bit of advice Friday for Hillary Clinton, his Democratic Party’s White House nominee, who soon faces Trump in the first presidential debate.
Asked what suggestions he might offer Clinton ahead of the debate Monday, the president told ABC News: “Be yourself and explain what motivates you.”
Obama added that Clinton “is motivated by a deep desire to make things better for people.”
The issue has weighed heavily on Cruz, 45, who faces re-election to the Senate in 2018 and has kept the door open to running for president again. Gallup tracking surveys found that Cruz’s net favorable rating among Republicans fell by a jarring 35 percentage points in the weeks after the convention, dipping into negative territory.
Cruz’s show of support came days after Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus suggested he may block Republicans who don’t back Trump from running for the party’s nomination again. It also followed news of Heidi Cruz, his wife, rejoining Goldman Sachs in the Houston office. She took an unpaid leave last year to aid her husband’s campaign.