Donald Trump went up to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican lawmakers. Among other things, he met privately with his former rival for the presidency Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. What the two men talked about is not entirely clear, except we know Trump asked Cruz to speak at the Republican National Convention and Cruz cordially accepted. A formal endorsement of Trump by Cruz was apparently not a condition for the speaking slot.
It is rare these days that Trump, the presumed nominee, asks anyone for anything. He is the one doing the demanding. But the fact that he went on bended knee to Cruz and asked him to speak at the convention is telling.
It suggests that Cruz has a powerful position in relation to Trump and can make his own demands.
Trump knows that he faces https://us.blastingnews.com/news/2016/07/could-anti-trump-forces-open-up-the-republican-national-convention-after-all-001003585.htmla growing revolt against him at the convention. If enough members of the Rules Committee vote for a conscience clause, the proposal that would make the delegates free to vote for whom they want will be put to the convention. If the proposal passes, then an open convention will result, and anything can happen.
Cruz is not directly involved in the attempted coup, but he is bound to benefit if it succeeds. With the world sliding into chaos, as exemplified by the massacre of police officers in Dallas, Republican delegates might want a steadier hand at the tiller of the ship of state to sail in through the troubles waters it finds itself in.
That man would be Ted Cruz rather than Donald Trump.
No one knows what Cruz will say at the convention or whether he will be required to run his speech past the Trump people. Maybe, the way things are going, he will be making his acceptance speech for the presidency of the United States.
In such an event, how Team Trump would be mollified is unknown, But the Trump veep-stakes has slid to the bizarre idea of Donald Trump running with his talented daughter, Ivanka Trump.
There’s a thought. A Cruz/Trump ticket, but with the daughter instead of the father, would be a brilliant stroke. Ms. Trump is young and would just reach the constitutional age for vice president in October. But that is the one way that Donald Trump would sit still for being denied the nomination at the point of his winning it.