Newt Gingrich plays diplomat after tense Ted Cruz RNC speech
CLEVELAND — Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich attempted to dial down the drama at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, delivered a speech in which he did not endorse the party’s nominee, Donald Trump.
Cruz’s speech left many of the party delegates and activists on the convention floor booing. However, Gingrich argued they “misunderstood” the senator’s remarks. The tense scene came after days of power plays where Cruz’s allies sought rules changes that could have allowed him to take the nomination from Trump at the convention. Cruz was defeated in a bruising primary where Trump repeatedly insulted him and even implied his father may have played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. However, Cruz’s backers argued that, even though Trump won the primary in a crowded field, the results indicated he could not have secured a victory in an one-on-one race.
Gingrich began by praising Trump for allowing many of his former primary rivals to speak at the RNC without insisting they offer endorsements. He framed this as a major step towards party unity.
“I’m also proud to be here as a Republican activist to see the extra effort Donald Trump has invested in bringing the Republican Party together with no requirement for endorsement. He encouraged his competitors to speak once again, Gov. Rick Perry, Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Scott Walker, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz have all responded to Donald Trump’s generosity,” Gingrich said.
In his convention speech, Cruz urged the audience to “vote your conscience.” His comments provoked boos and shouts of “Endorse Trump!” Cruz’s wife was even escorted out of the convention by security amid heckling.
Gingrich argued Cruz clearly was endorsing Trump without naming him by telling the crowd to vote their conscience. In calling for Americans to support conservative values while saying they should vote their conscience, Gingrich argued Cruz clearly was endorsing Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
“Now, I think you misunderstood one paragraph that Ted Cruz, who is a superb orator, said. And I just want to point it out to you. Ted Cruz said you can vote your conscience for anyone who will uphold the Constitution,” Gingrich said. “In this election, there is only one candidate who will uphold the Constitution. So, to paraphrase Ted Cruz, if you want to protect the Constitution of the United States, the only possible candidate this fall is the Trump/Pence Republican ticket. That way we have a Republican ticket to impose Republican principles in Washington.”
Gingrich then pivoted to the main theme of his speech — national security. He said the policies of President Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton put the county in danger and presented a nightmare scenario for what might happen if we don’t drastically change course.
“The danger is even worse than Sept. 11,” Gingrich said. “The worst-case scenario is losing an American city to terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. Instead of losing 3,000 people in one morning, we could lose more than 300,000. Instead of losing two great buildings, we could lose block after block after block to a nuclear event.”
Gingrich was reportedly on Trump’s shortlist of potential running mates. He concluded his RNC remarks with full-throated praise for Trump and his “great running mate,” Pence.
“We can be proud to stand with them,” Gingrich said. “We can make America safe again. We can make America work again. We can make America first again, and together we can make America great again for all Americans.”
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