***Horse Race LiveWire*** Cruz Picks Fiorina as Running Mate; Bobby ‘The General’ Knight to Endorse Trump

ted-cruz-carly-fiorina
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Breitbart News

Welcome to Breitbart News’s live updates of the 2016 horse race.

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All times eastern.

10:07: Gingrich estimates Trump has 90% chance of getting nomination:

9:35: Fiorina tells Kelly that Trump has made disparaging comments about Kelly and says she thinks Trump has trouble with strong women.

9:30: Carly Fiorina tells Megyn Kelly on Fox News that Trump and Clinton are “indistinguishable” and says Hillary Clinton will be president if Trump is the GOP nominee. She says this isn’t over until someone reaches 1,237 and “close doesn’t count.”

9:12: When asked about Cruz’s Fiorina announcement Sessions says it is unusual for Cruz and other Republicans to try to block the “people’s choice.”

9:10: Sessions: Trump will get stronger and stronger because Americans will realize he is defending American workers.

9:09: On Fox News, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) says Trump’s vote totals continue to rise even as Trump continues to be Trump. Sessions notes that Trump has been subjected to an onslaught of negative advertising.

8:55: Bob Schieffer: “You can forget that part about Trump being just the candidate of the angry, frustrated, poorly educated rural Republicans who are fed up with the Republican establishment.”

He won affluent Montgomery County in the Washington suburbs where many in the Republican establishment live. He won even bigger in Fairfield County, Connecticut, home of many who work on Wall Street.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania, always a bellwether county in national elections, left no doubt which Republican it liked as Trump won big there.

The blowout sent new shock waves through establishment Republicans in Washington. With polls consistently showing more than 60 percent of general election voters don’t like Trump, they were hoping against hope to block him from the ticket.

8:40: Sanders getting big crowds, still taking some jabs at Clinton:

https://twitter.com/gdebenedetti/status/725484263181787136

7:55: Trump tells Greta that people who have said terrible things about him have called him to get on board. Trump says he asks them how they could ask to come on board after saying the worst things and concludes “they are politicians” and politics is a “strange world.”

7:40: When asked about foreign aid at Fox News’s town hall, Trump says we give a lot of money and help to countries that “absolutely don’t deserve it.” He says he understands that sometimes America must provide foreign aid to nations “we’re not in love with” to prevent “bigger problems.” He says there are countries we give a lot of money to and provide nothing in return and “that’s going to stop.” Trump says “we are now the policemen of the world. We take care of everything.” Trump says we spend money on our military to protect other nations instead of ourselves. He says we can’t keep “giving, giving, giving.” He says we are are “debtor nation” and says we have to fix our “broken” country.

7:35: Trump says he loves Knight’s “philosophy” even though they operated in different worlds. Trump notes that Knight trained some of the best coaches like Duke’s Coach K. He says he would like to put himself in a  category close to Bobby in the the leadership category.

[Fox again milking the Trump Town Hall by running a ton of commercials.]

7:30: Bobby Knight joins Trump and Greta at the town hall. The General, an old-school proponent of shot fakes and mid-range jump shots, says he is not a Republican or a Democrat and he has always voted for the person he thought was the best for the job. And he says there is no question in his mind that Trump is “far and away the best person to lead America back to where we all want to be led.” Trump telling story that he told at rally about how Knight called him a year ago and asked him to run. Knight says when Trump tells you he is going to do something, he never ever forgets what he’s doing.

7:25: At his town hall event, Trump says he would love to make a deal between Israel and the Palestinians. He says he will be trying to make a deal and says he is a “big fan of Israel.” Trump says he wants to be able to get both sides together but “nobody will be more loyal to Israel than Donald Trump.” He blasts Obama’s Iran Deal and says “we got absolutely nothing” out of the deal. “You’ll never see deals like that [under my administration],” Trump says. He adds that Obama is the single worst thing “I have ever seen happen to Israel. It’s unbelievable. And we’re going to take great care of Israel. We’re going to cherish and protect Israel.” Trump says from a “competitive standpoint,” he wants to get the Middle East peace deal done since everyone says it can’t be done.

7:22: Trump says countries will “behave very very nicely” as soon as he threatens them with “tariffs and taxes” at Fox News’s town hall.

7:15: At his rally, Trump boasts that “all the tough guys have endorsed me.” He says he likes it when tough guys like Iron Mike Tyson endorse him.

7:13: Trump tells questioner that the Cruz-Kasich alliance was a “slap in the face” to the people of Indiana. He says it was an example of “typical politicians” making another bad deal.

7:11: At Trump’s Indiana rally, he says we’re to going to let the world and the politicians take advantage of us. He is also ripping the “Never Trump” movement.

7:09: Questioner’s father owns a manufacturing company in Indiana. She says the two major problems they face are the high cost of health insurance and they are losing their customers to cheaper prices outside of the U.S. She asks what he would do to help her family keep their business. Trump says when a company wants to leave like Carrier, he will tax the product coming in. Trump says he will repeal Obamacare and replace it with something better.

7:05: Trump says “we have to fight to win and get it over with” when asked about defeating ISIS. Trump says China will have to straighten out the North Korea problem or America will not do business with China and that will lead to a severe economic depression in China. He says China can “strangle North Korea” and he asks, “at what point are we the guardian of the world?” Trump says nations have to protect themselves or they have to “pay us properly.” Trump says he is a business-minded person but the country is not a business-minded nation right now. He says Germany is an “economic behemoth” but we still protect it. “You have to protect yourself or you have to pay up,” Trump tells Greta Van Susteren.

7:03: At Fox News’s town hall event, Trump says it is “crazy” and a “waste of time” for Cruz to announce his running mate. Trump says Cruz just needs something to get in the news cycle. He says he has a list of potential running mates but doesn’t want to discuss that until he “seals the deal.”

7:00: At his rally, Trump mocks Cruz and Kasich as the “two stragglers.” He also says Cruz obviously doesn’t know much about basketball because he called the hoop a “ring.”

6:58: Trump to Indiana supporters: “We’re just about ready to put it away.” Trump says Knight is a “cool cat” and Knight told him that he was ready for the call.

6:55: A beaming Trump back on stage. “What a winner that is,” Trump says of Knight. Trump says he never knew Knight personally but loved his attitude. Trump said he got a call from Knight a year ago and Knight told Trump before he announced that he and his friends all wanted Trump to run for president. Trump said Knight told him he wanted to endorse him.

 

6:50: Knight says Trump does a good job at all ding good people and is damn good at getting rid of bad people.

6:49: Knight guarantees No Benghazis in a Trump administration. He says the military will get the “absolute best care” from Trump.

6:47: Knight says they talk negatively about how Trump isn’t presidential and he says, “I don’t know what the hell that means.” Knight adds that, “to me, I think of Harry Truman… they said Harry Truman wasn’t presidential. And damn, he went on to be one of the three best presidents in United States history.” Knight says Trump will be “one of those also.”

6:44: Knight on beating Navy eight times in a row while coaching at Army:

6:42: Knight says Trump is the “most prepared  man in history” to step into the White House. He says there has never been a presidential candidate “prepared to the length that this man is.” He says he is not here to represent the Republican Party or any organization that deals with politics. He says the most important thing is to vote for the best man for the job.

6:40: Trump says he has a surprise of the audience and says Bobby Knight’s endorsement is the “worst-kept surprise.” He cites Knight’s perfect NCAA basketball season and introduces Knight. Trump says he will come back later after Knight concludes and speak. Crowd chanting “Bobby! Bobby!”

6:24: Miller also says Trump’s love of American workers, secure borders, safe communities trumps Clinton’s “contempt for the working people of this country.”

6:22: Trump campaign’s Miller dubs Cruz-Fiorina the “outsourcing ticket.”

6:20: In Indiana, the crowd boos when Trump’s senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tells the crowd that Ted Cruz voted for Obama’s trade deal that would destroy manufacturing jobs in America. He says Cruz has been “mathematically eliminated” and “none of us really knows why he’s running anymore.” Miller says Carly Fiorina pioneered the practice of outsourcing American jobs and one of her greatest legacies is finding ways to replace American workers with cheaper foreign worker.

6:05: On Fox News, Trump campaign’s Paul Manafort says it will be up to Trump whether there will be more TelePrompTer speeches. He says Trump will speak in “all different settings” because since Trump is now the presumptive nominee, he must do more than just campaign rallies.

6:00: Trump getting ready to address raucous Indiana crowd with Bobby Knight.

5:20: Four Americans died under Clinton’s watch in Benghazi. But her allies are ridiculing Trump’s “America First” doctrine (headline doesn’t help Clinton in Middle America).

5:16: Sanders campaign laying off field staff after Tuesday’s trouncing.

5:04: Trump’s son: “Truly one of the greatest acts of desperation I have ever seen.”

4:59: Fiorina says Cruz will restore power back in the hands of citizens. She says that “power concentrated is power abused” and she says Cru will follow the Constitution to restore it. She says “our country is being taken away from us” by the elites and the crony capitalists. She says it is time to “take our country back.” She says voters “must stand with us” and “fight with  us” to “restore what has made this nation great for so many people regardless of their circumstances.”

Earlier, Fiorina sings to Cruz’s daughters:

4:52:Fiorina talks about Cruz “putting money on the game” with four seconds left in the NCAA title game.

4:51: Fiorina says she is proud of the enemies Cruz has made because you ruffle feathers when you challenge the establishment.

4:49: In an anti-politician election cycle, Tweets like this will remind voters that Fiorina is as typical of a politician as they come:

4:47: Fiorina, never seen as a stalwart conservative, says this is a fight for the “soul of the party”and the future of the nation. She says Trump and Clinton don’t get to challenge the system because “they are the system.”

4:45: Fiorina says she is very proud, humbled and honored to accept Cruz’s offer to be his running mate.

4:37: Cruz says it is unusual to make a vice presidential announcement so early. He says nobody wants to get 1,237 delegates as viewers are probably impatiently waiting to hear from Fiorina. He says Fiorina is someone who is superbly gifted at uniting the party. He says he is making the long-winded announcement today so voters will know what they get. “The voters deserve to know,” he says. He says voters deserve to have a candidate who doesn’t change as the wind blows.

4:33: Cruz says Fiorina doesn’t get “rattled” by what gets thrown at her. He points out that Fiorina confronted Trump and bullies like Trump don’t know how to react when a strong woman stands up to him. He says a good president must know struggle and can’t be someone who has always lived a life of privilege. He mentions that Fiorina has known tragedy and mentions that she recovered from breast cancer and lost a stepdaughter because of drug addiction. He says you find your character and faith when you are facing the abyss. He says Fiorina isn’t intimidated by bullies because she has faced challenges a lot worse than someone bellowing and making fun of her face. He says his girls love Fiorina and both regularly text her.

4:30: Cruz says Carly respects the Bill of Rights and understands the threats facing America. Cruz says he is telling voters that she is someone who can keep the country safe if need be.

4:27: Many are asking:

4:25: Cruz mentions that Fiorina was born in Texas and is an “extraordinary leader.” He cites her resume and mention that she was the first female CEO in history of a Fortune 20 company. He says Fiorina is “brilliant and capable” yet experienced the “hardscrabble world” of being a woman professional that “extracts a price.” He says Fiorina has “shattered glass ceilings” over and over again.

4:23: Cruz announces Fiorina as his running mate:

4:14: In Indiana, Cruz says elections are about choices and the Republican Party faces a choice today. He says Indiana and America want to unite behind a positive and forward-looking campaign based on real policy solutions. He says the American people deserve a real choice in November, “a choice and not an echo.” Cruz says one of the “most solemn” choices a candidate makes is selecting a running mate. He says you are telling the American people that “this is an individual you can trust to lead this country no matter what might happen.” He says any responsible candidate for president will have spent much time assessing candidates, thinking through the pros and cons, praying about it, and examine the potential candidates. He says the characteristics you look for in a vice president are the same ones  you look for in a president. He cites knowledge, judgment, and character.

4:08: Cruz about to make Fiorina announcement in Indiana:

3:55: Report: At least 35 of the 54 unbound delegates in PA will back Trump.

3:51: On CNN, Bobby Plump, the real-life Jimmy Chitwood who inspired the Hoosiers movies, says he has never ever heard of a basketball hoop referred to as a “ring.” He also says there will be a lot of conversation in Indiana about Bobby Knight’s endorsement of Trump. He says there is “no in between” with Trump and Knight so they fit each other and they are “two of the same kinds of people” who “say what they think.” He says the publicity is going to be “great” for Trump across the state. “In Indiana, when you talk about basketball, you’re going to get everybody involved in it,” he says.

3:45: Cruz claims Trump’s foreign policy speech “is the most dramatic evidence thus far that Donald Trump fails the presidential test” and says Trump is “now the foreign policy candidate of the Washington lobbyists.”

3:35: Team Kasich: Reaction to Cruz/Fiorina announcement will be “collective shrug.”

3:30: Media elite “misunderestimated” George W. Bush, set very low bar for him. He leaped over it en route to two terms in the White House.

3:25: Palin ridicules Cruz for referring to a basketball hoop as a “ring.”

It's smarter to actually put the ball through the HOOP before you claim victory.

Posted by Sarah Palin on Wednesday, April 27, 2016

https://twitter.com/theekenaston/status/725320096298594304

3:22: Madeline Albright criticizes Trump’s foreign policy speech, which means the speech will resonate with ordinary Americans:

3:20: Sanders plays one-on-one with NBC anchor before interview:

3:15: Tony Lee: Cruz’s Fiorina pick is a disaster and shows how clueless the professional establishment and conservative tacticians are. First, many of Cruz’s “New York values” criticisms of Trump can be leveled at Fiorina. So, Cruz can’t effectively criticize Trump for not having core conservative values after picking Fiorina, whose one note candidacy didn’t resonate because conservative grassroots voters have never trusted her as one of them. Second, should Cruz somehow win the nomination, Democrats would eviscerate her as the female Mitt Romney. The Cruz campaign will be on the defensive throughout the election cycle and pieces of Fiorina’s business record will be like batting practice pitches that Hillary Clinton will knock out of the park on a daily basis in an election cycle in which Americans are revolting against political and Wall Street fat cats who put their interests above the country’s and their workers. In a nutshell, Fiorina’s record at Hewlett Packard will neutralize all of Clinton’s vulnerabilities re: establishment cronyism.

3:05: Trump agrees with Fiorina that Cruz is a “typical political” who will say whatever it takes to get elected.

3:00:  Flashback: Kasich crowd groaned when someone suggested he pick Fiorina as his running mate:

2:57: Trump will campaign with Bobby “The General” Knight in Indiana later this evening.

2:55: Trump slams Cruz/Fiorina announcement as a “pure waste of time.”

2:50: In an act of desperation, Ted Cruz will announce Carly Fiorina will be his running mate. The timing is horrible (if he were going to make such an announcement, he should have done it weeks ago), because Cruz now seems like a team who has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs getting fitted for championship rings it will never get:

2:45: Give CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, a bonafide foreign policy expert, a lot of credit. He said Trump’s foreign policy speech will resonate with Americans even though the Washington elite will probably hate it.

 

2:35: Gingrich predicts the shallow Washington elites would mock Trump’s speech. Predictably, many like the Washington Post‘s vacuous Chris Cillizza, who wouldn’t be able to discuss foreign policy matters in depth with experts, do mock him. The mainstream media only want Trump to give more specifics so they and their “experts” can spend weeks tearing apart whatever “specifics” Trump lays out. It’s a game Trump can’t win and he is better off not tipping his hand and giving specifics and instead promising to Americans that all of his foreign policy decisions will put America–and American workers–first.

 

 

 

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