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Donald Trump is launching a negative advertisement in Indiana that aims to put Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the defensive over his support for free trade agreements.
The spot, which premiered in Indiana markets on Thursday, suggests Trump is taking nothing for granted in the Hoosier State. A Trump loss there could bolster Cruz’s chances of keeping the billionaire below the 1,237-delegate threshold needed to clinch the nomination before the party’s national convention in July.
Trump enjoys a slight lead in the state, according to recent polls, but groups opposing him or supporting Cruz are outspending Trump by a five-to-one margin and bludgeoning him on the airwaves.
“Bad trade deals supported by Ted Cruz have hurt Indiana,” Trump’s spot begins, alleging that Cruz supports “job-killing trade deals” and pointing to his previous support for expanding a foreign worker program. The spot then repeats that Cruz had “supported amnesty” for undocumented immigrants, a charge disputed by Cruz but one that has trailed him for much of the campaign.
“Only Donald Trump will stand up to China, Japan and Mexico – and renegotiate bad trade deals,” the spot goes, taking a positive turn.
Cruz has taken heat in conservative circles for his position on trade, an important issue in Rust Belt states. The Texas senator in the past supported trade promotion authority for the Obama White House to negotiate deals with foreign nations, but he later flipped under considerable pressure from the right.