NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Ted Cruz didn’t show any Canada nice in ripping into Donald Trump over his birthplace, getting the better of the GOP front-runner as they tangled during Thursday night’s GOP debate.
Cruz used a question about whether he's eligible to be president because he was born in Canada to counter-attack Trump's recent attacks in Thursday night's GOP debate in South Carolina.
"Since September the Constitution hasn’t changed but the poll numbers have and I recognize that Donald is dismayed that his poll numbers are falling in Iowa but the facts and the law here are quite clear," Cruz said, pointing to Trump's comments last fall that his lawyers had told him Cruz was eligible.
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Trump fired back.
"You have a big lawsuit hanging over your head," he countered after defending his poll numbers — and drawing boos from Cruz supporters in the audience. "Theres a big overhang, there’s a big question mark on your head and you can’t do that to the party."
Donald Trump to Ted Cruz re: eligibility: "There's a big question mark over your head." #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/UqmeE7lwJG— Mashable Politics (@mashpolitics) January 15, 2016
Trump then reneged on his previous comments that Cruz might make a good vice presidential pick for him because of the issue — giving Cruz another opening.
"If this all works out I’m happy to consider naming you VP so if you happen to be right you can get the top job at the end of the day," Cruz said with a smirk, flashing his collegiate national champion debate skills.