TRUSSVILLE – Ted Cruz, the junior U.S. Senator from Texas and Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential race, addressed a packed crowd at the Trussville Civic Center on Sunday.
The 44-year-old Texan spoke to the roughly 1,500 in attendance for more than 32 minutes, touching on topics such as border security, ISIS and taxes.
Cruz drew a loud cheer from the Trussville crowd when he spoke of his first day on the job, if he is elected President.
“We are going to end welfare benefits for those here illegally,” Cruz said of his possible first order of business.
The Republican candidate also promised to end the Iran nuclear deal, end Obamacare and abolish the IRS in favor of a flat tax, saying citizens could file their taxes on a postcard.
After taking the stage with his wife of 15 years, Heidi, and their two young girls, Cruz told the crowd that he is a man of his word.
“The single biggest difference between me and the other very fine men and women standing on that debate stage is that with me, when I tell you I’m going to do something, I’m going to do exactly what I said I would,” he explained.
That was something Trussville native Michael Schuelly was encouraged by.
“Ted Cruz is a very dynamic speaker,” Schuelly said. “He stands for very conservative values. He says what he’s going to do and he’s got a proven record of doing what he says he’s going to do.”
“I feel strongly that he’s got as good of a shot as anybody out there and I think his momentum is building,” Schuelly said.
Some of that momentum comes from Cruz’s stance on firearms.
“We will rebuild the military and we will honor the commitments made to our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines,” he said. “And that includes protecting every serviceman and servicewoman’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
In the following minutes, Cruz touched on what he calls “radical Islamic terrorism.”
“We will have a Commander-in-Chief who stands up and makes absolutely clear: We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism,” he continued. “We will utterly and completely destroy ISIS.”
That was a topic that Schuelly was glad to hear on Sunday.
“He’ll stand up and call radical Islamic jihad what it is – terrorism,” Schuelly said. “Other candidates and our existing president is afraid to call radical Islam what it is.”
Cruz later stressed the importance of Alabama in the 2016 election.
“Alabama is going to play a critical role in this year’s Republican presidential race,” he said. “The role that Alabama is going to play is ensuring that the next President of the United States is going to be a strong conservative.”
Check back with the Trussville Tribune for a full video recap of Cruz’s talk.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.