Sen. Ted Cruz says that ongoing protests and unrest over the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have “unmasked” the “radical” and “extreme” nature of prominent Democrats leading up to the 2020 election.
The Texas Republican’s latest podcast, “The Verdict with Ted Cruz,” delved into President Trump’s re-election chances in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, racial protests and riots, and a national economy battered by world events.
Mr. Cruz told co-host Michael Knowles that it was difficult to read the political tea leaves at this time, although Mr. Floyd’s death during an arrest by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and his peers have revealed much for the American voter.
“This racial division and rioting — look, rioting, I think, scares people,” Mr. Cruz said of violence in the wake of the 46-year-old’s death. “I think it also shows how radical and extreme the Democrats are. It’s really unmasked them. That I don’t think has helped Joe Biden. If a Democratic presidency means the radicals who want to burn our cities to the ground are put in charge, that ain’t good.”
Mr. Floyd, a black man, repeatedly told cops that he could not breathe before expiring during an arrest in late May.
An arrest and charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter were meted out for Chauvin.
Colleagues Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
“I look at this election and I think there’s a huge delta,” Mr. Cruz continued. “What I hope we will see is I hope we will see the economy coming back, optimism coming back, hope and the promise of America. And if that’s the case, we could see a really good election. We could see the president re-elected by a big margin. We could see the Republican majority in the Senate grow and we could see Republicans taking the House. That’s what I hope will happen, that people will look at this craziness of Nancy Pelosi and the extreme radicalized left and say ‘we don’t want any of that.’”
The Republican noted that 2020 has left everyone in “uncharted territory,” which could deliver “a terrible election” for Republicans as well.
