Sen. ted cruz (R-Texas) shared his views on why it is difficult for Republican Party members to have opposing opinions on the former US President donald trump in an interview at the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, which took place in September.

What happened: Trump is a “unique” character, according to Cruz. The Texas senator recalled being second the former US President in the 2016 Republican presidential race, he said he decided to support Trump because he had a job to do as the elected representative of 30 million Texans. He said he met Trump right after Election Day in November 2016 and pledged his support.

“Mr. Mr. President, we have been given a historic opportunity. Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. That is very rare in history. We cannot screw this up. I want to do everything humanly possible to help the Senate fight to deliver on our promises,” he reportedly told Trump.

Cruz added that he worked side-by-side with the former president for four years.

See also: Liz Cheney Says ‘I Will Not Be A Republican’ If Trump Wins GOP Presidential Nomination

Speaking about why people on the Republican side are reluctant to criticize Trump, he pointed to a number of reasons.

“Unlike a lot of people in politics, if someone criticizes him, he turns around and slaps them in the face.” Cruz said.

If various Republican senators criticized him, Trump would “spend the whole meeting hitting them with a stick,” he added.

Dealing with Trump is a “complicated” decision for any Republican, Cruz said.

“I’ve made the decision that if he does things that are good and commendable, I’ll praise him — and if he says things I disagree with — I’ll just not engage in the daily color commentary,” he said .
This story was originally published on September 26, 2022.

Continue reading: Does Trump still have contact with Kim Jong Un, Putin? New book has surprising revelations