Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz told a young protester Sunday that in his household, if children behaved the way he did, "they would get a spanking."
The protester yelled, "You suck," to Cruz when the Texas senator was speaking at a rally in La Porte, Indiana, according to
The Hill.
Cruz stopped his speech to address the protester, and said that "hopefully" someone has told the protester, "children should actually speak with respect."
Cruz received rounds of applause for his comments to the protester.
Cruz turned the situation into an occasion to aim a barb at one of his Republican opponents, Donald Trump.
"Imagine what a different world it would be if someone told Donald Trump that years ago."
Cruz is facing the Indiana primary, in which polls show Trump defeating him, according to a
New York Times report.
Cruz rallied his supporters in Indiana saying, "The mainstream media wants this race to be over. They've all made their decision, and they now expect the people of Indiana to fall in line."
Cruz campaign spokesman Ron Nehring said that when the Republican convention takes place, Trump's support would crumble. If Trump is the nominee, "This party is headed to a wipeout of biblical proportions," Nehring said