If you thought businessman Donald Trump wouldn’t stoop so low as to call one of the Republican presidential nominee hopefuls “a pussy,” you’re absolutely right. He would NOT do that. But if somebody in his New Hampshire audience suggests that Ted Cruz is, in fact, “a pussy,” Trump doesn’t mind repeating it for everybody to hear and then sarcastically reprimanding the Trump fan who said it.
That is what happened Monday night.
Another 1st in US political history. After Trump mocks Cruz on torture he repeats what woman shouts: "She said, 'He's a pussy." Yes, he did
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) February 9, 2016
And apparently, the crowd ate it up.
Applause here in the arena after this moment just now: https://t.co/Y2GZ0sdrHm
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) February 9, 2016
The impetus for the mark began last Saturday during the latest Republican debate when Trump said he would bring back the enhanced-interrogation method (many instead would call it torture) of waterboarding. “I’d bring back waterboarding,” Trump said. “And I would bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.”
Meanwhile, Cruz said he wouldn’t bring back the widespread use of waterboarding. “I think bad things happen when enhanced interrogation is employed at lower levels,” he said last Saturday.
That apparently, though, didn’t sit well with at least one member of Trump’s audience Monday. Which is how this happened.
Real Clear Politics on Monday night had Trump as the clear front-runner at 30.7 percent heading into Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. His nearest competitor is more than 16 points behind. But some wonder if Trump’s comment Monday would potentially change that dynamic in the final hours before the voters head out to vote.
Trump works blue again: Calls Cruz a 'pussy.' He asked a woman to say it, then repeated it. Will this play in staid NH? Bet not. We'll see.
— Joseph Curl ❎ (@josephcurl) February 9, 2016
“We’re going to have our smartest people represented us,” says the guy who just called his primary opponent a pussy.
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) February 9, 2016
Either way, it appears as if we’ve blasted through a new frontier in American politics, and the rest of the Republican field, especially Cruz, must feel like they’ve just been schlonged.
Photo via Michael Vadon/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)