Cruz applauds Trump, says Obama taking everything backward

Once a friend-turn-foe, Texas Senator Ted Cruz has congratulated Donald Trump for becoming the Republican presidential nominee as he launched a scathing attack on President Barack Obama for taking everything backward and Hillary Clinton for following his policies.

"I congratulate Donald Trump on winning the nomination last night," Cruz told a cheering crowd at the Republican National Convention here.

The Junior Senator from Texas was defeated by Trump during the primary battle.

Besides congratulating Trump for winning the primaries, Cruz launched a scathing attack on President Obama and the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"There is a profound difference in our two parties' visions for the future. Their's is the party that thinks ISIS (Islamic State) is a "JV team," that responds to the death of Americans at Benghazi by asking, "What difference does it make?" That thinks. It's possible to make a deal with Iran, which celebrates as holidays "Death to America Day" and "Death to Israel Day. That is madness, Cruz said.

"President Obama is a man who does everything backwards — he wants to close Guantanamo Bay and open up our borders, he exports jobs and imports terrorists. Enough is enough. There is a better vision for our future: A return to freedom," he said.

"Freedom means religious freedom, whether you are Christian or Jew, Muslim or atheist. Gay or straight, the Bill of Rights protects the rights of all of us to live according to our conscience. Freedom means the right to keep and bear arms, and protect your family," he said.

"Freedom means Supreme Court Justices who don't dictate policy, but instead follow the Constitution," he added.

Hillary Clinton, he alleged, believes government should make virtually every choice in ones life. Education, healthcare, marriage, speech — all dictated out of Washington.

"But something powerful is happening. We've seen it in both parties. We've seen it in the United Kingdom's unprecedented Brexit vote to leave the European Union," he said. Voters are overwhelmingly rejecting big government. That's a profound victory," he said.

Cruz said the countrymen are fed up with politicians who don't listen to them, fed up with a corrupt system that benefits the elites, instead of working men and women.

"We deserve an immigration system that puts America first. And yes, builds a wall to keep us safe. That stops admitting ISIS terrorists as refugees," he said.

The US, he said deserve trade policies that put the interests of American farmers and manufacturing jobs over the global interests funding the lobbyists. And if we choose freedom, our future will be brighter.

Freedom will bring back jobs, raise wages. Freedom will lift people out of dependency, to the dignity of work," he added.

Without naming Trump, Cruz said the Americans deserve leaders who stand for principle.

"Unite us all behind shared values. Cast aside anger for love. That is the standard we should expect, from everybody," he said.

"And to those listening, please, don't stay home in November. Stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution," Cruz said.