Watch: Trump Raises Bible in the Air, the 8 Words He Says Next Will Make Cruz Fans FURIOUS

By Melody Dareing. Trump has been increasingly proactive in sparring with Cruz in recent public meetings, questioning his faith and referring to his father’s Cuban immigration. Trump’s latest jab came in a Dec. 29 campaign stomp to reach Iowa conservatives. During that rally, Trump waved a Bible in the air and aimed a political arrow at Cruz, who remains a darling of evangelical Christians.

“Just remember this. You got to remember in all fairness, to the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba,” Trump said” . . .

The controversial comments are a switch from interaction between the billionaire and the Texan earlier in the campaign. Trump and Cruz have, up until now, showed admiration for one another. Cruz defended some of Trump’s comments on issues immigration and Trump said he would consider Cruz as a running mate . . .

Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, 76, is a Christian speaker and evangelical pastor. The senator’s mother is originally from Delaware and the Texas politician was born in Alberta, Canada, when his parents were working in the oil business . . .

A reason for the sudden Trump turn on Cruz is the latest Real Clear Politics polls, according to the pundits. While Trump remains well in the lead in national polls with 35.6 percent support to 18.6 supporting Cruz in second place, the Texas senator has gained the lead in all-important Iowa. Iowa polls show that Cruz is at 30.3 percent to Trump’s 27.5 percent. Rubio is third in Iowa polls at 12 percent. (Read more from “Watch: Trump Raises Bible in the Air, the 8 Words He Says Next Will Make Cruz Fans FURIOUS” HERE)

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At Trump South Carolina Rally, Rival Cruz Casts Long Shadow

By Emily Flitter. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump filled a hotel ballroom with over 2,000 people for a rally on Wednesday, attracting die-hard supporters as he has in other cities, but was dogged by a rival who is also very popular in South Carolina: Ted Cruz.

A dozen people interviewed by Reuters said the Texas senator offered a strong alternative to the loud-mouthed New York businessman, though more than half still planned to vote for Trump.

“If he doesn’t drop out of the race, I’m definitely going to vote for him,” Daniel Barrett, 48, said of Trump. When asked why he added the caveat about Trump staying in the race, Barrett said: “He might be rallying the troops for someone else, for Cruz.”

Barrett said his ideal presidential ticket would be Trump, with Cruz as his running mate. “I like Donald Trump’s bold, straightforward America theme,” he said. “But Cruz, I think, is very articulate. He’s solid on the issues.”

South Carolina’s primary election, in which Republicans and Democrats will each choose a nominee from their party to compete in the November 2016 presidential election, is set to be the third state contest, after Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s primary in early February. Winning in South Carolina offers a candidate crucial momentum going into a slate of state elections held on a single day in early March, known as Super Tuesday. (Read more from “At Trump South Carolina Rally, Rival Cruz Casts Long Shadow” HERE)

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