Ted Cruz in Meet the Press interviews during 2015

On Budget & Economy: Use debt limit as leverage for policy change

Q: You are a believer in using the debt limit for leverage. What do you want Republican leadership to do with the debt limit?

CRUZ: What I'd like to see on the debt limit is Republican leaders fight for something. For Pete's sakes, anything.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interview moderated by Chuck Todd Oct 18, 2015

On Foreign Policy: Fighting ISIS is more important than fighting Assad

Q: In Syria is the priority getting Assad out of power or ISIS?

CRUZ: ISIS.

Q: So table the Assad discussion right now?

CRUZ: We have no business sticking our nose in that civil war.

Q: So you're a "no" on the no fly zones, none of that stuff, stick to just ISIS? Would you work with the Russians? If they are helping with ISIS, would you work with them?

CRUZ: Of course, we shouldn't be partnering with the Russians. Look, this is a great example of the utter failure of the Obama/Clinton foreign policy. This void in power has let Putin step in there. And anyone who believes Russia is fighting against terrorism, I got a bridge to sell them.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interview moderated by Chuck Todd Oct 18, 2015

On Foreign Policy: If Mideast strongmen still in power, better for US interests

Q: Would the Middle East be more stable today if you had the strongmen there?

CRUZ: Of course, it would.

Q: Gaddafi, Saddam, Assad, if they're strongmen, they keep stability?

CRUZ: It wasn't even close that Libya under Gaddafi was better for US interests than the chaos now that is allowed jihadists to gain strength.

Q: What about Iraq under Saddam?

CRUZ: It wasn't even close.

Q: Do you think Iraq would be more stable today under a strong man like Saddam?

CRUZ: Based on what we know now, should we have gone into Iraq? No, of course not. It was based on the belief that they had weapons of mass destruction that they would use against us.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interview moderated by Chuck Todd Oct 18, 2015

On Foreign Policy: US should not engage in nation building in Afghanistan

Q: If you become President would you keep this policy of having troops in Afghanistan?

CRUZ: It will depend on the mission. I don't believe we should be engaged in nation building. I don't believe we should be trying to transform foreign countries into democratic utopias. But I do think it is the job of our military to protect this country, to hunt down and kill jihadists who would murder us.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interview moderated by Chuck Todd Oct 18, 2015

On Civil Rights: Supreme Court gay rights ruling undermines the Constitution

We had 2 decisions of the Supreme Court where they ignored the text of federal law. They rewrote ObamaCare, forcing that failed law on millions of Americans, and then the next day, 5 justices disregarded the text of the Constitution and purported to strike down the marriage laws of all 50 states.

I would urge everyone to read Justice Scalia's dissents. He said that these decisions are an assault on democracy. That this is 5 unelected lawyers declaring they are the rulers of 320 million Americans.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls Jul 5, 2015

The above quotations are from Meet the Press interviews during 2015 (David Gregory interviewing candidates for 2015 and 2016 races). Click here for other excerpts from Meet the Press interviews during 2015 (David Gregory interviewing candidates for 2015 and 2016 races). Click here for other excerpts by Ted Cruz. Click here for a profile of Ted Cruz.
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Page last updated: Feb 13, 2019