On Thursday, NBC’s Today blasted Ted Cruz in the most hyperbolic terms over the Texas Senator’s unwillingness to endorse Donald Trump during a Wednesday night speech at the Republican National Convention. Co-host Savannah Guthrie went biblical on the conservative lawmaker: “Peter King said it was a disgrace, that he's a liar. Chris Christie said it was an awful and selfish speech. I was walking out last night, I overheard a delegate say, ‘Let's call him Judas Cruz.’”
Turning to Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, Guthrie asked: “Do you agree with all of the above?...Do you think Cruz betrayed you? Betrayed that good will you just talked about?”
In a panel discussion that followed, liberal Republican strategist Mike Murphy ripped Cruz: “Well, something we've never seen before. It's one thing to be – not endorse Trump, but to get on the podium before the vice presidential nominee, pull a lightning bolt out of your pocket and throw it right between Trump's eyes – unheard of. Cruz blew himself up.”
Political analyst Nicolle Wallace melodramatically ranted:
...what he did was the equivalent of going into someone's living room, breaking all the furniture, and then stealing the food out of the fridge before you run out. It was bad manners. And he squandered so much good will. We were in the room. That room was behind Ted Cruz until he got to that moment when he just, you know, put the knife right in Ted Cruz’s front....I’m sorry, in Donald Trump's front.
Here are excerpts from both of the July 21 segments:
7:08 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Paul Manafort is the chairman of the Trump campaign. Paul, good morning to you.
PAUL MANAFORT: Good morning.
GUTHRIE: Anything happen last night?
MANAFORT: A quiet evening in Trump world.
GUTHRIE: Peter King said it was a disgrace, that he's a liar. Chris Christie said it was an awful and selfish speech. I was walking out last night, I overheard a delegate say, “Let's call him Judas Cruz. That’s what we should call him.” Do you agree with all of the above?
MANAFORT: Look, Donald Trump had – wanted to demonstrate to both his opponents in the primaries and to the Republican Party and to the American people that he views the primary process as over. So he invited his opponents to speak at this convention. His invitation had no conditions to it. He wasn’t asking for endorsements. Most people understood what it meant to be invited to speak at the convention. So people like Governor Walker, Marco Rubio, and others who spoke, you know, said in various capacities that they plan on supporting the Republican ticket, voting for him, endorsing him. Ted Cruz took a different path.
LAUER: Two schools of thought, though, this morning, Paul. One school says you should have never let this happen knowing that he was going to use the words “vote your conscious.” There’s no reason to have given that spot to him on a Wednesday night. The other school is you guys are crazy like foxes and that you knew when he said those words that would be the reaction on the floor and it would be one of the more unifying moments of the convention so far.
MANAFORT: Well, I'm not sure which course you think it is, but as far as I'm concerned, the party is unified. Last night, despite what Senator Cruz did, the party came together because they see that Donald Trump is making an effort. You saw Paul Ryan give a great introduction of Vice President-to-be Pence. You saw a great speech by Governor Pence. And tonight you're going to see a fantastic speech by Mr. Trump.
LAUER: Just to follow real quickly, you said in the last 24 hours that Ted Cruz, you thought, would be part of this campaign moving forward. I would assume this morning you will retract those words?
MANAFORT: Well, it's up to Ted Cruz, not up to me.
LAUER: You’d let him come back and be part of the campaign?
MANAFORT: I – our position is we want to embrace all Republicans who are prepared to work and support the Trump/Pence ticket.
GUTHRIE: Do you think Cruz betrayed you? Betrayed that good will you just talked about?
MANAFORT: Well, I think Cruz used very bad judgment, I think he made a mistake. I think he was not respectful to the invitation by the convention to come and speak and he understood what the responsibilities are for somebody in his position and he didn't meet them.
(...)
7:13 AM ET
MATT LAUER: Given last night's chaos, tonight's theme is well timed. It's called “Make America One Again.” The GOP saying speakers will tackle ways to turn challenges into opportunities and focus on what unites us, not what divides us.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Again, the highlight of the evening, Donald Trump accepting the Republican Party's nomination for president. As mentioned, he'll be introduced by his daughter, Ivanka. We speak to her a little bit later.
LAUER: Alright, let's bring in Nicole Wallace and Mike Murphy. Good morning to both of you. What happened last night?
MIKE MURPHY: Well, something we've never seen before. It's one thing to be – not endorse Trump, but to get on the podium before the vice presidential nominee, pull a lightning bolt out of your pocket and throw it right between Trump's eyes – unheard of. Cruz blew himself up. The question is, a year from now, if there is a Trump debacle, will Cruz then be able to say, “I was purity on ideology, I was also the purity on Trump.” Very risky, big move. Does it hurt Trump? Well, it does not help. We’ll see how Trump does tonight, that’s what counts.
GUTHRIE: Nicolle, do you take the different view that somehow, some way this is a party more united than ever now?
NICOLLE WALLACE: I think that Cruz accomplished what the Trump campaign has not been able to do so far. I think he managed to unite more Republicans behind Trump. Because what he did was the equivalent of going into someone's living room, breaking all the furniture, and then stealing the food out of the fridge before you run out. It was bad manners. And he squandered so much good will. We were in the room. That room was behind Ted Cruz until he got to that moment when he just, you know, put the knife right in Ted Cruz’s front.
LAUER: I want to talk about Donald –
WALLACE: I’m sorry, in Donald Trump's front.
(...)
