Ted Cruz Discusses Donald Trump’s Values in Latest TV Spot
On Tuesday, the Ted Cruz presidential campaign released a new TV ad that began airing immediately in Iowa.
The 30-second spot, titled “New York Values,” is intended to show Donald Trump’s assertion that New York “views” and “attitudes” are different than views and attitudes in Iowa.
In the first clip, Trump says, “I mean, hey I lived in New York City and Manhattan all my life, so my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa.” It is followed by a narrator’s voiceover transitioning to a new topic: abortion.
The second clip, both of which come from an interview conducted by the late Meet the Press host Tim Russert in 1999, featured a discussion about abortion, specifically, late-term abortions. Russert first asked, “Would President Trump ban partial birth abortion?” Trump’s answer, at the time, was:
“Look, I am pro-choice in every respect.”
The narrator then coyly asks, “What does Trump think about Iowa?” The ad transitions to a clip of Trump’s infamous rant about questions regarding the accuracy of Dr. Ben Carson’s biography and whether or not Iowans believed it:
“How stupid are the people of Iowa?”
The ad, while attacking Trump’s values, doesn’t specify the dates or context of any of the quotes. The clips don’t exactly provide new information for Iowa’s voters, either, suggesting the motivation may be less about attacking Trump’s character and more about driving supporters to caucus next Monday.
According to Real Clear Politics, the race in Iowa has Trump leading by nearly 6 points over Cruz, with the rest of the field in double digits behind second place.
