Ted Cruz calls Trump and Rubio 'liars' while emphasizing the importance of ethics

Sen. Ted Cruz tore into fellow Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio at a South Carolina press conference Wednesday while simultaneously patting his own campaign on the back for taking "the high road."
"Falsehoods have no place in American politics," the Texas senator said, calling out both Rubio and Trump for being "liars" after Trump called him a "liar" the day before.
To emphasize his point about the presidential race's lack of ethics, Cruz then brandished the cease-and-desist note that Trump's lawyers allegedly sent his campaign after it used politically damning archival footage of Trump in an attack ad. "I have to say, Mr. Trump, you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said. "If you want to file a lawsuit... file a lawsuit." Cruz contends that there is no way that "repeating someone's own words" could be defined as defamation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Even though Rubio isn't the one sending Cruz threats of a lawsuit, Cruz had some words for him, too: "Marco Rubio," Cruz said, "is behaving like Donald Trump with a smile."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Spain's love of sunflower seeds is wrecking its football stadiums
Under the Radar One club controversially bans 'national vice' as discarded 'pipas' shells block drains and erode concrete
-
Today's political cartoons - May 11, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - shark-infested waters, Mother's Day, and more
-
5 fundamentally funny cartoons about the US Constitution
Cartoons Artists take on Sharpie edits, wear and tear, and more
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment