ABC's Roberts and Mika Agree: Ted Cruz 'Seems Like a Terrible Choice' for Anti-Trumpers

April 21st, 2016 9:33 PM

As former ABC This Week co-anchor Cokie Roberts appeared as a guest on Thursday's Morning Joe on MSNBC, she expressed agreement as liberal host Mika Brzezinski declared that GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz "seems like a terrible choice" for Republicans to support to stop Donald Trump from winning.

After recalling reports that the RNC has been in communications with Trump about how to work together in the future, Brzezinski alluded to her "world view, ideology" counter to Cruz as she proclaimed: "I'm sure it is a little bit of, for me, my world view, ideology, but it just seems like Ted Cruz seems like a terrible choice to try and use -- am I wrong? Help me out with some objectivity."



Roberts laughed, and, after Willie Geist injected, "As the anti-Trump?" Brzezinski added: "What have I missed here?"

Roberts -- political commentator for both ABC and NPR -- responded: "You haven't missed anything. That's why he hasn't succeeded. If they had a good choice, they would have rallied around him."

She then laughed as Brzezinski imagined a group of Republicans in a room making an agreement to support Cruz over Trump.

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Thursday, April 21, Morning Joe on MSNBC:

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I'm hearing that small overtures being made from the RNC to team Trump trying to figure out how they do this together.

COKIE ROBERTS, ABC POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, they should make overtures. Look, after New York, I think we know what we're looking at. We're looking at a Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump general election. And so they need to get with the program.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, they do, I mean, and I think the -- maybe -- I'm sure it is a little bit of, for me, my world view, ideology, but it just seems like Ted Cruz seems like a terrible choice to try and use -- am I wrong? Help me out with some objectivity.

WILLIE GEIST: As the anti-Trump?

MARK HALPERIN: Not ideal.

ROBERTS: That's why he hasn't -- that's why he hasn't-

BRZEZINSKI: What have I missed here?

ROBERTS: You haven't missed anything. That's why he hasn't succeeded. If they had a good choice, they would have rallied around him.

BRZEZINSKI: So someone in a room said, "Guys, let's get together here," and all of them agreed, saying, "We've got to get behind Ted because he's the one."

MIKE BARNICLE: You're talking rigged convention now.

ROBERTS: Who would be those people in that room?

BRZEZINSKI: The "stop Trump:" movement, people in the Republican establishment, I don't know. Who are those people?