Atlanta — Ted Cruz praised Megyn Kelly in a gaggle with reporters Satuday, but declined to say anything negative about Donald Trump or address the comments Trump made about Kelly.
“That was a decision for RedState to make,” Cruz said of RedState Gathering host Erick Erickson disinviting Trump from the event.
“I think every candidate should treat everyone else with civility and respect. That’s the standard I try to follow, it’s a standard I hope all of us aspire to. I also think that we’re not gonna solve the problems in this country, we’re not gonna defeat the Washington cartel by obsessing over the politics of personalities. This is about real challenges facing the American people. This is about bankrupting our kids and grandkids, defending the Bill of Rights, and restoring America’s leadership in the world. That’s where my focus has been and it’s where I intend to keep it.”
Asked to directly address the comments, Cruz praised Kelly, calling her “a terrific journalist.”
“I think she does a great job; I think she did a very good job moderating the debate,” he said. ”And I’m not gonna engage in the back and forth on personalities.”
And with that, Cruz shamelessly changed the subject.
“Let me give you a story that is infinitely more important than the momentary bickering between different political candidates, which is what has happened with General Soleimani,” Cruz said, and continued to discourse on the subject for several minutes.
Cruz has been perhaps the most reluctant of the GOP field to criticize Donald Trump. His response to Trump’s comment that McCain was “not a war hero” was similar to his response today: Cruz praised McCain, but declined to say anything about Trump or his comment.
Cruz reached out to Trump and met with him in July. If Trump were to leave the presidential race at some point, many of supporters might choose to back Cruz. Asked Saturday if he was seeking to woo Trump’s voters, Cruz said he was seeking to win over every other candidate’s supporters.