Where Is Ted Cruz? Texas Senator Says He Was Not Invited To Speak At Republican National Convention

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told the New York Times on Wednesday that he was not invited to speak at this week's Republican National Convention.

“They didn’t ask me to participate,” Cruz told the Times in a phone call. “So, I’m not on the speakers’ roster.”

Cruz said in the call that he “would have been happy to” give an address at the convention if he were invited. During the interview, Cruz praised the “remarkable policy successes” of the current administration, citing tax cuts, deregulation and the “economic boom” before the coronavirus.

A former Cruz aide said it could be advantageous for the former presidential candidate to not appear at this week’s convention, as Trump may not win a second term. Most polls show Trump trailing Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

“I think the smart money is to lay low and see how this shakes out,” Amanda Carpenter told the Times. “It is a huge risk for speakers to try to hitch their star to Trump in this moment.”

Cruz finished second behind Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries. Trump and Cruz frequently sparred on the campaign trail and Cruz did not give a full endorsement of Trump at the past convention.

Trump often referred to Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted” and questioned whether he could run for president, as he was born in Canada. He also mocked Cruz’s wife on Twitter and suggested that Cruz’s father may have played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Cruz attacked Trump for having “New York values” and slammed him as a “sniveling coward” due to his attacks on his family. Cruz also called Trump a “narcissist” and “serial philanderer” who lacks morality.

After Trump seized the White House, the two Republicans developed a more amicable relationship. In October 2018, Trump said he ditched the “Lyin’ Ted” nickname ahead of a Houston rally for Cruz, who at the time faced a tough Senate race against Democrat Robert "Beto" O'Rourke.

"He's not 'Lyin' Ted' anymore. He's 'Beautiful Ted,'" Trump said before the rally. "I call him 'Texas Ted.'"