Donald Trump visited Sheldon Adelson’s private suited after Wednesday’s speeches and took this picture, but Ted Cruz was barred from Adelson’s suite.
Sheldon Adelson snubbed Ted Cruz after the Texas senator’s speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. Sen. Cruz was given a prime-time speaking position on the night the Republican’s nominated their vice presidential candidate, Gov. Mike Pence, but Cruz failed to endorse Donald Trump for president.
After the speech, Ted and Heidi Cruz went to the skyboxes area, where party bigwigs view events in private suites. Most other Republicans with accommodations on the top level of convention center averted their eyes from Cruz, who received the second-most delegates during the Republican primary season. Sheldon Adelson refused to let Cruz in his suite, which had been the plan.
Andy Abboud Statement
Andy Abboud, the longtime spokesman for Adelson and the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, said of Sheldon and Miriam Adelson’s snub, “When he didn’t endorse, they were stunned and disappointedWhen he didn’t endorse, they were stunned and disappointed.”
Mr. Abboud is well-known to the people who read gambling news, because he has led Sheldon Adelson’s campaign to have online gambling banned in 50 states. Adelson claims he is concerned about problem gamblers, but his critics believe the world’s richest casino mogul wants to squelch possible competition.
Sheldon Adelson has said since Trump started winning primaries that he would support the New York land developer and former casino executive.
Abboud, who met with GOP power brokers in May 2016 about setting up a SuperPAC on behalf of Mr. Trump, said, “We could not allow Ted Cruz to use the Adelsons as a prop against Donald Trump. The Adelsons support Donald Trump and made that clear.”
“They like Ted Cruz, but there was no way the Adelsons were going to be the first stop after not endorsing. That would be disrespectful to our nominee.”
Sheldon Adelson and Donald Trump
Donald Trump visit the Adelson family’s suite and took a photo with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. Andy Abboud later tweeted the picture of the three.
Beyond that, Donald Trump and a variety of Republican leaders reacted to Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement. As Cruz was ending his speech, Donald Trump appeared on a staircase walking to platform seating, thus stealing the spotlight away from his defeated opponent.
Donald Trump’s Reaction
Later, Trump tweeted his own comments on the Cruz’s speech, pointing out that all major GOP candidates had promised to support the Republican nominee, whomever it was. Trump posted, “Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn’t honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!”
Michael Cohen, a Trump family lawyer, gave a starker reaction: “The only way to describe it is political suicide.”
Chris Christie’s Reply
Gov. Chris Christie, the first GOP candidate to endorse Donald Trump, was also vehement. The New Jersey governor, who has suffered public embarrassment and mockery for his early endorsement, said, “I think it was awful. And quite frankly, I think it was something selfish. And he signed a pledge. And it’s his job to keep his word.”
An anonymous Cruz supporter told CNN that the Texas senator was “not surprised by the reaction.” Political pundits explained that such a high-profile snub of a party’s presidential nominee means Ted Cruz calculates that Trump is going to lose in November. Looking ahead to 2020, Ted Cruz wants to be able to say he did not support Donald Trump, who likely would become persona non grata among the GOP, if he were to lose to Hillary Clinton.
For the time being, Ted Cruz has become the outcast in the 2016 Republican Party. While political calculation plays a role, Ted Cruz might have found it difficult to support the man who had insulted his wife and father. Trump tweeted out pictures of Heidi Cruz to criticize her looks, while he implied that Ted Cruz’s father might have been a second gunman in the 1963 JFK assassination.
John Kasick’s Lack of an Endorsement
He is not the only major GOP candidate who declined to endorse Donald Trump, though. Gov. John Kasick of Ohio has declined to appear at the convention or to endorse Trump. Kasick has said he stated throughout the latter stages of the primaries he would not endorse Trump, because he dislikes Trump’s style of campaigning.
Kasick’s non-endorsement is more likely to harm Trump’s chances, because Ohio is one of the key battleground states than any Republican candidate must win. For that reason, the Trump Campaign continues to woo Gov. Kasick.
Not so for Senator Ted Cruz. The controversial senator received the disdain of the Trump children, including Eric Trump, who gave a speech earlier in the night.
Eric Trump Dismisses Ted Cruz
Eric Trump talked to reporters afterward and said of Cruz’s actions, “The audience didn’t seem to like it right? I don’t think it makes any difference in the world.”
Not everyone was a critic. Hillary Clinton’s twitter page later in the night echoed Ted Cruz’s words, “Vote Your Conscience.“
