Republican Senator Ted Cruz is facing increasing pressure to turn against former President Donald Trump after testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, revealed that he helped Trump’s 2016 campaign by manufacturing fake stories about Cruz.
Pecker testified that he agreed to publish negative and false stories about Cruz and other political rivals of Trump before the 2016 presidential election. According to Pecker, Cruz, his fellow Senator and then-presidential candidate, was targeted by these fake stories, as was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump’s eventual general election opponent.
Pecker claimed that he helped create stories falsely alleging that Cruz had multiple mistresses and attempted to link the senator’s father to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. While Cruz initially criticized Trump for repeating the Kennedy story, calling him a “pathological liar” who “doesn’t know the difference between truth and lies,” he later endorsed and repeatedly praised Trump, offering little criticism since 2016.
In the wake of Pecker’s testimony, Cruz has been mocked by critics for his alleged cowardice in failing to fight back against Trump. Many have questioned how Cruz can continue to support a man who orchestrated a smear campaign against him. Some have even suggested that Cruz may be motivated by a lack of self-respect.
Cruz has not yet commented on Pecker’s testimony, but his office has stated that he is “not interested in revisiting ancient history.” This response has further fueled criticism of Cruz, with many accusing him of being subservient to Trump.
The situation has put Cruz in a difficult position. If he denounces Trump, he risks alienating his supporters, many of whom are loyal to the former president. However, if he continues to support Trump, he may face further criticism and damage his own reputation.
