After watching volumes 1 through 11 of the “You Can’t Stump the Trump” videos on YouTube (an entertaining must-watch), I kept asking myself, “Will anyone be able to ‘Stump the Trump?'”
As we learned last night, you can stump the Trump and Ted Cruz proved it — and focus groups agree.
The stumping of Trump came when Ted Cruz was asked about his citizenship and whether or not he was eligible to be president.
Cruz pointed out that in September, when he was lower in the polls, Trump had announced that his lawyers had looked deep into Cruz’s citizenship issue and found that there was “nothing there.”
Cruz chimed, “Now the Constitution hasn’t changed since September. But the polls have…” suggesting that Trump is attacking him not on legitimate legal concerns, but rather on political concerns about losing to Cruz:
This was a departure from Cruz’s earlier avoidance of attacking Trump — which I believe added to the attack’s effectiveness.
From the Fox News story:
“He handled him,” one woman said. “It was really evident that he was capable of taking the hit and handling it and turning Donald around on himself.”
When Frank Luntz asked the focus group, “Who won the debate?” the audience unanimously shouted, “Cruz!”
This was a much needed exchange for Cruz, who has seen his Iowa numbers slip slightly over the past few weeks.
It should also be noted that Cruz could be the first candidate to have landed a punch on Trump. Polling will tell.
My prediction? Look to see a bump in the polls for Cruz in both Iowa and South Carolina.
Terry Schilling is the executive director of American Principles Project.
