Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) denounced Democrats on Tuesday night for the way in which they responded to the State of the Union by refusing to stand for President Donald Trump for much of the evening.
Trump addressed key issues such as national security, the economy, abortion and border security during his address.
But the president was also delivering the speech amid a contentious political climate. Cruz was disheartened by how many Democrats refused to stand or applaud during it.
“That is a testament to policies that work, but tonight I think we also saw just how extreme, how out-of-touch, the modern Democratic Party has become,” Cruz told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night after the speech.
“Right up to the opening minute when the president is introduced, half the Democrats stayed sitting on their rear-ends and wouldn’t clap,” he said on “Hannity.”
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Cruz added that when a Democrat was in the White House, he didn’t disrespect former President Barack Obama that way.
He noted that he stood not because of policy agreements but because he respected the office. He also noted that some people didn’t even applaud positive developments in the country, such as the lowest African-American unemployment rate in history.
“You know what, every time I was there for Barack Obama, I stood up and applauded, not because I agreed with his policies, but because I respect the office of the presidency,” Cruz told Hannity. “You saw about every Democrat stay sitting and refuse to clap for the lowest African-American unemployment in history.”
Trump spent a good portion of his speech addressing the positive economic trends that have occurred during his presidency thus far.
He pointed to the 5.3 million new jobs that have been created since he took office two years ago. He also noted how the economy is now growing almost twice as fast as when he took office.
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“I think my favorite moment in the speech was when the president said, ‘We will never become a socialist country,’” Cruz said. “Because you see the Democrats terrified and about half of them stood and half of them didn’t. That photograph needs to be remembered for a long time. Every Democrat who sat has just told their constituents they want America to be a socialist country. ”
Ted Cruz also denounced the Democrats who remained stone-faced when the president called on a ban for late-term abortions.
Trump was responding to New York State’s passage of a bill that allows late-term abortions under certain conditions.
Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam also voiced his support for a measure in his state that would significantly loosen restrictions on late-term abortions.
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