Sen. Ted Cruz’s opportunity for an I-told-you-so moment came Wednesday, when he was asked about President Donald Trump’s deal with Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi to keep the government funded and raise the debt ceiling until December.
Cruz said during the Republican primaries that if you wanted to a candidate who would cut a deal with Sen. Harry Reid, Schumer and Pelosi, Trump would be your guy.
“Well, listen, in the primary, Trump was not my first choice. As you know, I tried very hard, came close, but didn’t win. Trump won. He won the nomination. He won the election. He is our President,” Cruz told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview.
Last week, Trump stunned GOP leaders when he made a deal with the two main Democratic leaders in Congress in an effort to temporarily raise the debt ceiling, despite qualms from his team and fellow Republicans who wanted the deal to be longer.
Cruz said now he’s focused on helping steer Trump in the right direction, adding that he is in frequent communication with the President and Cabinet members.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Democratic leaders Wednesday night, to which Cruz said he thought was “fine.”
“I think it’s perfectly fine,” Cruz said. “I talk to Democrats all the time.”
At Wednesday’s dinner, Schumer and Pelosi are expected to discuss the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, as well as stabilizing the health care markets and other legislative deadlines, two people familiar with the plans told CNN.
Cruz pointed to Trump’s record thus far when asked if he was worried about a pattern of Trump cutting deals with Democrats.
“I think the Cabinet appointments have been very strong. I think on regulations, the regulatory steps have been very, very positive. And so I’m going to continue encouraging the President, encouraging the administration, encouraging Congress, let’s do what we said we would do,” Cruz said. He later added: “Compromise is perfectly appropriate if you’re moving in the right direction.”