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| Cruz denies alliance with Kasich ahead of Indiana primary – campaign live | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| 5.16pm BST | |
| 17:16 | |
| Cruz denies alliance with Kasich | |
| Earlier this week, the Ted Cruz and John Kasich campaigns released simultaneous statements describing coordinated efforts in the upcoming states of Indiana, Oregon and New Mexico. The deal was, supposedly, that Kasich would stay away from Indiana while Cruz stayed away from the other two, allowing a sole candidate to go head-to-head with Trump. | |
| Neither candidate publicly made a statement about the alliance, which some Indiana voters have been reported as finding too cute by half. But Kasich undercut the supposed alliance a bit by saying that if people in Indiana want to vote for him, they should. | |
| And now Cruz flatly denies there was ever an alliance, reports CNN: | |
| Cruz: "John Kasich made the decision, in his own political self-interest, to withdraw from Indiana." | |
| Cruz did not respond to a question just now about whether he was similarly "pulling out" of Oregon & New Mexico. https://t.co/VoEYg5aihG | |
| At which Kasich’s chief strategist uses the L word: | |
| I can't stand liars. | |
| For what it’s worth, Kasich is campaigning today in Oregon, which will divide its 28 delegates proportionally on 17 May, while Cruz has a whole week of Indiana events planned. | |
| Updated | |
| at 5.19pm BST | |
| 5.08pm BST | |
| 17:08 | |
| Obama: GOP candidates peddling economic 'fantasy' | |
| Barack Obama has accused the Republican presidential candidates of defying logic and peddling “fantasy” in telling voters they can cut taxes and government regulations, balance the budget and produce economic growth. | |
| “If you look at the platforms, the economic platforms of the current Republican candidates for president, they don’t simply defy logic and any known economic theories, they are fantasy,” Obama said, in an extensive and at times surprisingly frank reflection on his economic legacy in an interview with the New York Times’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. | |
| The president admits some economic missteps in the interview, including a failure to initiate a significant infrastructure spending project and to sufficiently boost wages. While the economy has grown during the Obama presidency and unemployment has been cut in half, a near-record number of Americans have dropped out of the workforce and real median incomes have fallen, while wealth and income inequality have grown. | |
| In other words, the economy is working for some but not working for others. Obama admits as much in the interview: | |
| I can probably tick off three or four common-sense things we could have done where we’d be growing a percentage or two faster each year ... We could have brought down the unemployment rate lower, faster. We could have been lifting wages even faster than we did. And those things keep me up at night sometimes. | |
| The president’s main contention, however – made with an insistence that he feels no personal frustration about the matter – is that the political discourse has left the public with an inaccurately dim view of his stewardship of the economy, which when he took office was suffering from the housing meltdown, growing unemployment, a credit crisis inside the country’s biggest banks and the looming potential failure of giant insurance companies. | |
| Culprits for the erosion of this discourse, in the president’s view, include the Republican party, which has incessantly repeated that the economic recovery since 2008 has been too slow, while stubbornly refusing to take part in any plan out of the White House to speed the recovery, especially any plan that includes tax hikes. Blame is shared by the current crop of Republican presidential candidates, in the view of the president, who dismissed the GOP campaign-trail economic platforms as implausible. | |
| “Slashing taxes particularly for those at the very top, dismantling regulatory regimes that protect our air and our environment and then projecting that this is going to lead to 5% or 7% growth, and claiming that they’ll do all this while balancing the budget,” Obama said. “Nobody would even, with the most rudimentary knowledge of economics, think that any of those things are plausible.” | |
| He continued: | |
| If we can’t puncture some of the mythology around austerity, politics or tax cuts or the mythology that’s been built up around the Reagan revolution, where somehow people genuinely think that he slashed government and slashed the deficit and that the recovery was because of all these massive tax cuts, as opposed to a shift in interest-rate policy — if we can’t describe that effectively, then we’re doomed to keep on making more and more mistakes. | |
| Obama counts among his regrets a failure to set up a big infrastructure spending project, he told Sorkin: | |
| The fact of the matter is, is that our failure in 2012, 2013, 2014, to initiate a massive infrastructure project — it was the perfect time to do it; low interest rates, construction industry is still on its heels, massive need — the fact that we failed to do that, for example, cost us time ... It meant that there were folks who we could have helped and put back to work and entire communities that could have prospered that ended up taking a lot longer to recovery. | |
| The president does not suffer from an unfairly grim assessment of his own performance, however. | |
| “I actually compare our economic performance to how, historically, countries that have wrenching financial crises perform,” Obama said. “By that measure, we probably managed this better than any large economy on Earth in modern history.” | |
| Read the full New York Times interview here. | |
| Updated | |
| at 5.18pm BST | |
| 4.47pm BST | |
| 16:47 | |
| Cruz welcomes Boehner's 'Lucifer' gibe | |
| Cruz-Fiorina is addressing reporters before their Fort Wayne event. Cruz has welcomed John Boehner’s calling him Lucifer, tweeting, “tell me again who will stand up to Washington?” | |
| Tell me again who will stand up to Washington? Trump, who's Boehner's "texting and golfing buddy," or Carly & me? https://t.co/qvYPSaTEV7 | |
| First Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina presser taking place now. #CruzCrew pic.twitter.com/ISM4eWN9NN | |
| Cruz’s Twitter has been retweeting people celebrating the Boehner dig as an endorsement: | |
| This is the biggest Ted Cruz endorsement ever. https://t.co/U5ODfoq9e7 | |
| And current speaker Paul Ryan stays far away from the Lucifer talk: | |
| "I have a much better relationship with Senator Cruz" @SpeakerRyan says, when asked about Boehner's comments on Cruz | |
| 3.57pm BST | 3.57pm BST |
| 15:57 | 15:57 |
| Ted Cruz is scheduled to pop up for a campaign rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana, any time now. Surveil this live video stream if you’d like to see the man John Boehner calls “Lucifer in the flesh” in action | Ted Cruz is scheduled to pop up for a campaign rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana, any time now. Surveil this live video stream if you’d like to see the man John Boehner calls “Lucifer in the flesh” in action |
| 3.19pm BST | 3.19pm BST |
| 15:19 | 15:19 |
| Boehner calls Cruz 'Lucifer in the flesh' | Boehner calls Cruz 'Lucifer in the flesh' |
| Texas senator Ted Cruz has scored what is indisputably the strongest non-endorsement of the 2016 cycle. | Texas senator Ted Cruz has scored what is indisputably the strongest non-endorsement of the 2016 cycle. |
| Former House speaker John Boehner told a Stanford University crowd on Wednesday evening that Cruz is “Lucifer in the flesh”. Boehner continued, according to a Stanford Daily report: | Former House speaker John Boehner told a Stanford University crowd on Wednesday evening that Cruz is “Lucifer in the flesh”. Boehner continued, according to a Stanford Daily report: |
| I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son-of-a-bitch in my life. | I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son-of-a-bitch in my life. |
| Lucifer! Miserable son-of-a-bitch! Not to put too fine a point on it. | Lucifer! Miserable son-of-a-bitch! Not to put too fine a point on it. |
| In fact Boehner has called Cruz “Lucifer” before, and for good measure deemed the senator a “jackass” for his role in the government shutdown of 2013. Cruz held what must have been frustrating sway, for Boehner, over the Tea Party wing of the House as Boehner tried to cobble together various coalitions to keep the government funded and avoid crashing the debt ceiling and pass a border security bill, among other efforts. | In fact Boehner has called Cruz “Lucifer” before, and for good measure deemed the senator a “jackass” for his role in the government shutdown of 2013. Cruz held what must have been frustrating sway, for Boehner, over the Tea Party wing of the House as Boehner tried to cobble together various coalitions to keep the government funded and avoid crashing the debt ceiling and pass a border security bill, among other efforts. |
| As for Cruz nemesis Donald Trump, Boehner said they had played golf together for years and that they are “texting buddies.” | As for Cruz nemesis Donald Trump, Boehner said they had played golf together for years and that they are “texting buddies.” |
| Cruz has not issued a reply to the former Ohio congressman’s assessment. He might say that Boehner, who spent 30 years in Congress and was known for having a comfortable relationship with lobbyists, represents everything that is wrong with the Republican establishment. | Cruz has not issued a reply to the former Ohio congressman’s assessment. He might say that Boehner, who spent 30 years in Congress and was known for having a comfortable relationship with lobbyists, represents everything that is wrong with the Republican establishment. |
| Say what you will about Cruz, it's truly impressive to be so right wing that John Boehner thinks you're a living manifestation of Satan | Say what you will about Cruz, it's truly impressive to be so right wing that John Boehner thinks you're a living manifestation of Satan |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.21pm BST | at 3.21pm BST |
| 2.00pm BST | 2.00pm BST |
| 14:00 | 14:00 |
| Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. Texas senator Ted Cruz created some electricity on Wednesday evening with his announcement that, should he win the Republican presidential nomination, the bumper stickers would read Cruz-Fiorina, as in Carly, the former tech executive (and presidential candidate). | Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. Texas senator Ted Cruz created some electricity on Wednesday evening with his announcement that, should he win the Republican presidential nomination, the bumper stickers would read Cruz-Fiorina, as in Carly, the former tech executive (and presidential candidate). |
| Fiorina made a punchy appearance with Cruz in Indianapolis culminating in a lullaby she sang to Cruz’s kids: | Fiorina made a punchy appearance with Cruz in Indianapolis culminating in a lullaby she sang to Cruz’s kids: |
| The challenge for Cruz-Fiorina is to inspire Republican primary voters in Indiana, which will award 30 delegates to its statewide winner this coming Tuesday in a contest billed as a last stand for the #NeverTrump movement. Fiorina was up early on Thursday to argue that Donald Trump, who is leading in the (scant) polls in the Hoosier state, is just the same as Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton: | The challenge for Cruz-Fiorina is to inspire Republican primary voters in Indiana, which will award 30 delegates to its statewide winner this coming Tuesday in a contest billed as a last stand for the #NeverTrump movement. Fiorina was up early on Thursday to argue that Donald Trump, who is leading in the (scant) polls in the Hoosier state, is just the same as Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton: |
| I put them in the same category because they are the same category. They’re two sides of the same coin ... I do think for some of us, principles matter, and convictions matter, and policies and principles matter. | I put them in the same category because they are the same category. They’re two sides of the same coin ... I do think for some of us, principles matter, and convictions matter, and policies and principles matter. |
| .@CarlyFiorina: On the one hand, you have Cruz and Fiorina. On the other hand, you have Trump and Clinton. https://t.co/TsCOk2GN8n | .@CarlyFiorina: On the one hand, you have Cruz and Fiorina. On the other hand, you have Trump and Clinton. https://t.co/TsCOk2GN8n |
| It has been reported that Fiorina, early in the primary process, was uniquely capable of getting under the skin of Trump, who was advised to ignore her but mostly could not. He’s on Twitter this morning not ignoring her, in fact: | It has been reported that Fiorina, early in the primary process, was uniquely capable of getting under the skin of Trump, who was advised to ignore her but mostly could not. He’s on Twitter this morning not ignoring her, in fact: |
| Lyin' Ted Cruz, who can never beat Hillary Clinton and has NO path to victory, has chosen a V.P.candidate who failed badly in her own effort | Lyin' Ted Cruz, who can never beat Hillary Clinton and has NO path to victory, has chosen a V.P.candidate who failed badly in her own effort |
| Trump holds events in Evansville, Indiana, and Costa Mesa, California, today, while John Kasich is in Portland and Medford, Oregon, and Bernie Sanders is in Springfield, Oregon. | Trump holds events in Evansville, Indiana, and Costa Mesa, California, today, while John Kasich is in Portland and Medford, Oregon, and Bernie Sanders is in Springfield, Oregon. |
| Did you catch Trump’s big foreign policy speech on Wednesday? Did you have the nagging sense that it didn’t make sense and may in fact have been packed with internal contradictions abetted by an absence of any real detail? You weren’t imagining things, writes Dan Roberts: | Did you catch Trump’s big foreign policy speech on Wednesday? Did you have the nagging sense that it didn’t make sense and may in fact have been packed with internal contradictions abetted by an absence of any real detail? You weren’t imagining things, writes Dan Roberts: |
| Related: Ten inconsistencies in Donald Trump's big foreign policy address | Related: Ten inconsistencies in Donald Trump's big foreign policy address |
| And here’s a curveball story: a top Cruz campaign operative in Virginia has visited Syria and turns out to be a Bashar Assad apologist: | And here’s a curveball story: a top Cruz campaign operative in Virginia has visited Syria and turns out to be a Bashar Assad apologist: |
| Related: Cruz campaign's Virginia co-chair visits Syria and pledges to back Assad | Related: Cruz campaign's Virginia co-chair visits Syria and pledges to back Assad |
| Thanks for joining us today, and as always, visit us in the comments! | Thanks for joining us today, and as always, visit us in the comments! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.23pm BST | at 3.23pm BST |