May 1, 2016

NBC host Chuck Todd grilled Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Sunday for repeating talking points instead of providing answers to any of his questions.

During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, the visibly frustrated host noted that Cruz had spent their entire time together "trying to eviscerate Donald Trump."

"If he's the nominee, I take it you can't support him anymore, can you?" Todd stated.

After Cruz launched into yet another set of rehearsed lines, Todd exclaimed: "But are you going to support him?"

"I recognize that many in the media would love for me to surrender to Donald Trump," Cruz droned.

"It's not about the media," Todd interrupted. "Senator, it's about the numbers. He may win. Republican voters are the ones rejecting you. This is not a media conspiracy, Senator."

"Donald can't answer questions about his foreign policy," the GOP hopeful insisted.

"Why can't you answer the question of whether you can support Donald Trump or not?" Todd pressed. "You can't answer that question. Why won't you answer that question, straight forward, black and white?"

At that point, Cruz charged that NBC executives were "partisan Democrats."

"You don't get to just say that," Todd shot back. "It's just not true. Go ahead. You're broad brushing here, and this is exactly what people hate about the media and politics. Broad brushes, right?"

"I'm not willing to concede this country," the struggling candidate remarked. "If we lose this, we lose our country."

"Don't you think it's important to take a stand?" Todd asked. "You just said it's a time for choosing. If it's a time for choosing, say it, for him or against him as the nominee!"

"Let the record show, you have not taken a position on whether you can support Trump if he's the nominee," the host added.

"And let the record show you tried very, very hard to get me to commit to supporting Trump," Cruz concluded.

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