Ted Cruz Didn’t Want Donald Trump’s Legal Advice At the Republican Debate

Ted Cruz won’t be taking any legal advice from Donald Trump anytime soon.

When the issue of his citizenship came up at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, Cruz immediately tried to downplay the issue, pointing to Trump’s possible insecurity over the closing gap between the two in the polls. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother.

“You know, back in September, my friend Donald said that he had had his lawyers look at this from every which way, and there was no issue there. There was nothing to this birther issue,” Cruz said to laughter. “Now, since September, the Constitution hasn’t changed — but the poll numbers have.”

Trump said that Cruz was a liability if the Democrats ever started poking around his birth records. “Here’s the problem. We’re running. We’re running,” Trump said. “He does great. I win. I choose him as my vice presidential candidate, and the Democrats sue because we can’t take him along for the ride. I don’t like that. OK?”

But Cruz dismissed the billionaire, saying “well, listen, I’ve spent my entire life defending the Constitution before the U.S. Supreme Court. And I’ll tell you, I’m not going to be taking legal advice from Donald Trump.”