Texas Sen. Ted Cruz made a notable break with Donald Trump Friday when he denounced Trump’s comments that he would make Muslims in America register in a database.
Cruz has been careful not to attack Trump on the trail, likely because he hopes to scoop up Trump supports if the business mogul drops out of the race. So he was careful to couch his statement by beginning, “I’m a big fan of Donald Trump’s,” Politico reports.
“But I’m not a fan of government registries of American citizens,” Cruz continued. “The First Amendment protects religious liberty, I’ve spent the past several decades defending religious liberty.”
Trump stood by his position Thursday, saying that he would “absolutely” make Muslim Americans register in a database as a security measure after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that left 129 dead.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also pushed back against Trump’s suggestion of a registry of Muslims.
“It’s not a question of toughness. It’s manipulating people’s angst and their fears,” he said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “That’s not strength. That’s weakness.”
Trump later clarified his thoughts on Twitter, attributing the database idea to a reporter.
Read Next: Democrats Call Trump’s Muslim Database Comments ‘Shocking’
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com