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2016 FLASHBACK: Cruz Predicts Trump Will ‘Cut A Deal’ With Pelosi, Schumer

   DailyWire.com

A January 2016 quote from then-Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz predicting that Donald Trump would eventually “cut a deal” with the Democrats is going viral after the president sided with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer against Republicans on the debt ceiling.

On Wednesday, Trump backed the Democratic House Minority Leader and Senate Minority Leader on raising the debt ceiling. While Republicans Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (WI) wanted either a clean Hurricane Harvey relief bill or else one connected to an eighteen-month debt ceiling increase with various Republican priorities wrapped in, Trump sided with Pelosi and Schumer on Hurricane Harvey relief funding that is tied to a three-month debt ceiling increase — “a total Democratic victory that also gives Democrats the upper hand in budget negotiations in December,” as Daily Wire‘s Ben Shapiro puts it.

Trump’s move has resurrected Sen. Ted Cruz’s prediction during the 2016 primary that Trump would eventually “cut a deal” with then-Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid “and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.”

“We’re seeing something fairly remarkable happening on the political terrain,” Cruz told reporters in New Hampshire on January 2016 (video below). “We’re seeing the Washington establishment abandoning Marco Rubio. I think they’ve made the determination that Marco can’t win. And they’re rushing to support Donald Trump. And just yesterday Bob Dole explained why the establishment is supporting Donald Trump. They said he’s someone we can make a deal with. He’s someone we can cut a deal with.”

Cruz then stressed that Trump himself said as president he would be willing to “cut a deal” with Democrats.

“And I would note Donald just a couple of days ago drew the difference between me and him,” he continued. “And he said, look, Ted won’t go along to get along. He won’t cut a deal. So if as a voter you think what we need is more Republicans in Washington to cut a deal with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, then I guess Donald Trump’s your guy.”

Partial transcript, video via Politistick.

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