Sen. Ted Cruz Negotiating Speaking Role at Republican Convention

NBC News ^ | July 6, 2016 | Leigh Ann Caldwell

[Innovative]

Sen. Ted Cruz may be on the list of speakers at the Republican National Convention that Donald Trump said he plans to release on Thursday.

Three sources, including one close to the Trump campaign, tell NBC News that Cruz is in negotiations for a speaking spot at the convention. It would be a notable shift for Trump, who previously said his former opponents who haven't yet endorsed him wouldn't be invited to speak. In response to those comments from Trump, a Cruz spokeswoman said at the time that the Texas senator wasn't expecting to receive any time on the schedule.

If Cruz does indeed speak at the convention, it would be a boon for both the senator and the presumptive GOP nominee, who is still struggling to unite the party behind his candidacy with less than two weeks to go until the convention kicks off in Cleveland. Cruz is widely expected to make another White House run in the future, and his appearance at the convention would further elevate him within the party. It could also help convince his former supporters to back Trump, many of whom remain skeptical of the presumptive nominee — and a small cohort of whom are trying to force a contested convention to oust Trump.

[Dr. Sivana]

Unfortunately, I don't think we have any indication that Cruz is willing to bury the hatchet. He could just as easily be preparing to give a bitter and divisive speech which would further damage party unity.

That is a reasonable response. In fact, the parameters of the speech might well be what is being negotiated right now.

[proust]

“I don’t know how he walked into that New York values trap.”

More than anything else, he needed to win Iowa at that moment so he pandered to that crowd. He figured he would be in much better shape by the NY primary or that Trump would be knocked out by then.

[Dr. Sivana]

You would think Cruz would be hopping made to clear his dad’s name but I guess where there is smoke there is a grassy knoll.

Occam's Razor says when you get trounced in Indiana you get out.

[M. Thatcher]

He speaks good lawyer-eese, which by definition is empty and unmemorable. A lot of “let me be clear” and “make no mistake” which is verbiage without any actual content.

And: "I would note that..."

[exit82]

Anything Cruz says now will just seem monumentally insincere.

Cruz is only for Cruz—not for anyone else.

He can go back to his native country where he was naturally born.

[proust]

Hey we could play a good bingo game with all those phrases during his convention speech!

[Arthur McGowan]

“They” didn’t murder JFK. LBJ and Texas billionaires murdered JFK. And GHWB was in Dallas, and lied about it for thirty-some years. And had connections to Oswald. And Nancy Reagan always belived—with good reason—that Bush tried to murder Ronnie.

So—yes. The Republic is in trouble.

(JFK stole the 1960 election.)

[sailor76]

The only convention Lyin-Ted needs to speak at is the Dogcatchers for Hillary convention

[Arthur McGowan]

Also: “A-a-a-a-a-nd...”

[Windflier]

“I get on here again, and I remember. It’s not so much that I don’t like or trust Trump, it’s the Kool-Aid drinking fans of his that I can’t stand.”

Free Republic enthusiastically supports Trump - the ONLY person standing between a restored America, and the final tumble off the cliff into anarchy and disolution.

Don’t like it? No one’s forcing you to hang out here.

[Sacajaweau]

I just went and heard the entire video of Cruz lambasting Trump. Not sure if that’s a forgiveable dissertation.

[SaveFerris]

I guess he’d rather have Hillary in the WH.

[Windflier]

“Anybody think like I do that this country started going to hell after they murdered JFK?”

I peg the beginning of America’s decline much earlier - around the early 1900s, when the 16th Amendment was passed, and the Federal Reserve was created.

Those two acts ushered in the modern progressive era. It’s been all downhill since then.

[Just mythoughts]

I hope Trump tells this fraud to get back to the job tax payers are already paying him to do.

[9YearLurker]

Looks like Cruz is already setting up nonprofits to coordinate his “travel to early states” for the 2020 presidential election:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/437520/ted-cruz-political-machine-prepares-2020-campaign

And he’s pals with Jay Nordlinger, a sr. NR editor, so I take this report as accurate.

Given this, I have a hard time seeing how having him speak is a good idea.

[Trumpinator]

I get your point but the country did very well between 1900 and 1969.

[austinaero]

Is the media actually getting it? NBC actually said this? “and a small cohort of whom are trying to force a contested convention to oust Trump.”

They actually minimized the friction and possibility of a wild RNC convention? Interesting turn of tone.

[combat_boots]

Cruz COULD have sued about the story on his father being around Oswald for some reason. Ditto for Amanda Carpenter being around Cruz in the wee hours and in the morning for some reason.

But he hasn’t.

[Royal Blue]

I think that Trump should be careful on this. I don’t think that Cruz has Trump’s interests in mind in trying for the speaking spot.

[SaraJohnson]

He’ll undermine Trump. Don’t let him speak.