Sen. Ted Cruz pushed back against Donald Trump in the GOP presidential debate Thursday for stoking “birther” questions over the Texas Republican’s eligibility to be president, saying the law clearly states that he is legally allowed to be president despite being born in Canada.
Mr. Trump, though, pushed back, saying the legal issue is far from settled.
The New York billionaire also said he is concerned that the lingering legal questions could prevent him from tapping Mr. Cruz as his running mate.
“Here is the problem, we are running, we are running, I win, I choose him as my vice presidential candidate, and the Democrats sue because we can’t take him along for the ride,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t like that.”
Mr. Cruz offered up another idea: he would tap Mr. Trump as his running mate and if he is disqualified from serving as president then the New York billionaire could get his wish by taking his place in the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump has kept the “birther” questions alive on the campaign trail, warning that Democrats are preparing a lawsuit that could disqualify Mr. Cruz and has called on the Texas Republican to seek a declaratory judgment from the courts to put the issue to rest once and for all.
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On Thursday, Mr. Cruz said Mr. Trump is concerned because polls show the race between them is tightening.
“Back in September, my friend Donald said that he had his lawyers look at this from every which way and there was no issue there,” Mr. Cruz said. “There was nothing to this birther issue. Now since September the constitution hasn’t changed, but the poll numbers have, and I recognize that Donald is dismayed that his poll numbers have fallen in Iowa.”
Mr. Trump also admitted that the polls have him concerned, saying Mr. Cruz now has a “four or five percent” chance of winning the GOP presidential nomination.
Mr. Cruz, meanwhile, said the child of a U.S. citizen born abroad is a natural born citizen under the law.
Mr. Cruz also noted that some of the more extreme “birther theories” - including that both parents should be born on US soil - would disqualify
Mr. Trump “because Donald’s mother was born in Scotland” and later naturalized as a US citizen.”
“On the issue of citizenship, I am not going to use your mother’s birth against you,” Mr. Cuz said.
Mr. Trump retorted, “because it wouldn’t work.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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