The president of the Tea Party Patriots says Sen. Ted Cruz is looking good as Republican presidential timber, and Donald Trump may or may not be a contender.
"I have to research more about what Donald Trump has said and what he actually means right now because some of what he said in the past is different than what he’s saying right now so we have to see if he really means it, as well," Jenny Beth Martin said Friday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
"I would say that when we look back at the fight the Tea Party Patriots has been involved in with immigration over the past several years that Sen. Cruz has been very consistent in his stance and we appreciate that."
"Sen. Cruz had a different position than we did on the TPA bill with the Transpacific Partnership a few weeks ago and he wound up changing his vote and his position largely because of grassroots influence and when they do that, that’s a good thing."
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She said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was also convinced to change his position on illegal immigration.
"He was part of the Gang of 8 and he certainly was pushing that bill through the United States Senate back in 2013 and Tea Party Patriots was very much opposed to that bill,' she said.
"He is now saying that he thinks that the border must first be secure and that he understands that people around this country need to see that the border is secure before they can talk about anything else that happens with immigration.
"That is a step in a different direction than what he was saying in 2013 and it’s what the grassroots activists around the country and especially in Florida where he’s a senator, have really worked hard to make sure that he understands."
Martin's Georgia-based group is a conservative political organization, affiliated with the tea party movement, which promotes the "core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets."
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