Cruz Praises Trump for Having ‘a Backbone,’ but Wishes He Would Strike a Different Tone

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says President Donald Trump has had a positive influence on the Republican Party. However, he says some of the president’s tweets have “coarsened” the political discussion.

In an interview on Hugh Hewitt’s show on Tuesday, Cruz was asked how Trump has changed the Republican party.

Cruz started out by saying that the president had made the party the “party of working men and women” and pointed to the fact that Trump won Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential election.

Additionally, Cruz said that Trump “has a backbone” and “he will fight” in contrast to some other Republicans.

“So many of us are so sick and tired of Republicans that roll over and whimper when encountering the slightest resistance. And I think probably the best characteristic about the president is he’s got a backbone. And he will fight.”

However, he noted one “less than positive” change that he believes Trump brought about — a coarsened political discussion.

“Now, I will say … I wish his tone and some of the things he said were different,” Cruz said, adding, “Many of the tweets I’m not a fan of, and I do think it has coarsened discussion. So that is a less-than-positive development.”

Listen to the interview below:

And he said Trump has “driven the Democratic Party insane … They have lost their mind. They are galloping to the left. They are openly socialist. They are advocating abolishing the police. He’s also driven the media insane. They are equally partisan.”

Cruz said that has led Republicans to stand up for “things like free enterprise, defending things like the founding principles.”

“It is pushing Republicans, and I hope we go much faster towards this, to actually defending the fundamental ideals upon which our nation was founded,” he added.