Ted Cruz Stands by 'New York Values' Remarks

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Cruz defines New York values.

ByABC News
April 6, 2016, 6:44 PM

— -- Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz may be back in New York, but he is not backing down from his depiction of "New York" values.

In an interview ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Ted Cruz laughed off rival Donald Trump saying that he can't imagine any New Yorker voting for Cruz. Trump recently told the Wall Street Journal that Cruz doesn't like New Yorkers and is mocking them. In January, Cruz first used the term "New York" values as a way to lob an insult at Trump.

"You know Donald comes from New York and he embodies New York values," Cruz told Howie Carr in a radio interview on Jan. 12.

Today, Cruz elaborated upon what he means by the phrase in an interview with Stephanopoulos that airs Thursday, April 7 on "Good Morning America."

"Let me be very clear. The people that I was talking about are the liberal New York Democrats who have hammered this state. It is people like Mayor Bill de Blasio. It is people like Governor Cuomo," Cruz said.

Cruz frequently notes on the campaign trail that Trump has donated to Democratic politicians like de Blasio, Cuomo and Hillary Clinton.

Over the past few weeks, Cruz has tweeted pictures and videos attacking Trump for having donated to prominent New York politicians, some of whom had careers end in scandal like former Congressman Anthony Weiner.

Cruz told Stephanopoulos that Trump has "funded them all."

Tune into ABC News' Good Morning America Thursday, April 7 for more of George Stephanopoulos' interview with Sen. Ted Cruz.