Cruz claims to understand Trump Muslim proposal

Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) declined to take shots Tuesday evening at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country, specifying he could understand the motivations behind the plan.

“I understand why Donald made that proposal,” Cruz said in Las Vegas during the final GOP debate of the year. 

He then took a moment to tout his own legislation, which would block refugees from Syria and four other countries from entering the United States for the next three years.

“In this instance there are millions of peaceful Muslims across the world, in countries like India,” Cruz said. “We should look at the problem, focus on the problem and defeat radical Islamic terrorism."

“It’s not a war on a faith. It’s a war on a radical theocratic ideology that seeks to murder us.”

Cruz’s decision not to go on the attack against Trump underscored his efforts to peel off supporters from the billionaire front-runner, whom analysts have long expected to fall in the polls.

If Trump does begin to plummet, Cruz has positioned himself to be a prime beneficiary, especially in conservative states such as Iowa, where recent polls show him tied with or even edging out Trump.