National Harbor, Maryland — Ted Cruz ripped Donald Trump’s decision to back out of his scheduled speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, mocking the billionaire real-estate mogul during his own CPAC address before slamming the Republican front-runner for his claim during last night’s debate that he was “flexible” on immigration.
“So Donald Trump is skipping CPAC,” Cruz said just moments after taking the stage Friday afternoon, prompting a chorus of anti-Trump boos from the crowd. “I think somebody told him Megyn Kelly was going to be here. Or even worse, he was told there were conservatives that were going to be here.”
“Or even worse, he was told there were libertarians that were going to be here!” he continued, as the crowd cheered. “Or even worse, he was told there were young people that were going to be here!”
Cruz turned his sights back to Trump later in his speech, during an extended riff on the push for immigration reform in Washington, D.C. “It’s a natural question to ask, during the Gang of Eight battle, where was Donald?” the Texas senator asked. “Sadly, worse than nowhere. Donald was funding the Gang of Eight. He gave over $50,000 to five members of the Gang of Eight.”
“And last night on stage, Donald promised all of us he’d be ‘flexible,’” Cruz continued. “He told us over and over again how ‘flexible’ he was. Well, let me tell you CPAC, ‘flexible’ is a code word in Washington, D.C. for they’re getting ready to stick it to ya.”
The packed Potomac Ballroom at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor, Md., exploded into applause at the direct attack on Trump. Though attendees seem overwhelmingly opposed to Trump’s candidacy, they’ve been somewhat starved for anti-Trump sentiment at this year’s CPAC. Few speakers have openly gone after him, preferring instead to allude cryptically to the divisions now splitting the Republican party.