Ted Cruz said Tuesday that Donald Trump treats his supporters “like subjects of a king” after photos surfaced of voters seen pledging their loyalty to the Republican presidential front-runner.
“Anyone who thinks you’re making a loyalty oath to some candidate fundamentally misunderstands this process,” Mr. Cruz told reporters during a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, CNN reported.
“Listen, no political candidate is gonna make America great again. It’s not gonna be Donald Trump, it’s not gonna be me, it’s not gonna be any candidate. The only power strong enough to restore this nation is we the people — it is not about us, it’s about the people,” the Texas senator said.
Mr. Trump first asked supporters to make a pledge at a rally in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend, jokingly asking them to raise their right hands and “solemnly swear” to vote for him, CNN reported. Photos from the event received swift backlash, with the former chief of the Anti-Defamation League, Abe Foxman, calling it a “fascist gesture” that resembled the ’Heil Hitler’ salute, Politico reported.
The Trump campaign has called the allegations “ridiculous” and “crazy.”
Still, Mr. Cruz said “the idea that a candidate running for office wants the people to pledge loyalty to him like subjects to a king, well, we’ve had seven years of a president who thinks he’s an emperor and I’ve gotta say, the only hand-raising I’m interested in is on January 20th 2017.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.