Updated at 8:20 p.m.: Revised to include Trump's remarks.
HOUSTON -- President Donald Trump and other friends of Sen. Ted Cruz turned Rep. Beto O'Rourke into a piñata Monday night, revving Texas Republicans to form a firewall for the national party -- and block Democrats from transforming Texas into a political extension of California.
"Ted's opponent in this race is a stone-cold phony named Robert Francis O'Rourke, sometimes referred to as Beto. And he pretends to be a moderate, but he's actually a radical open borders left-winger," Trump said. "O'Rourke voted against your tax cuts and he went against oil workers. ... O'Rourke supports a socialist takeover of health care. You're going to triple your taxes and it won't be enough."
Trump marveled at O'Rourke's "F" rating from the National Rifle Association. "An F means he wants to take away your guns," he said at a noisy, rollicking rally in downtown Houston, with supporters waving red "Make America Proud Again" signs, many in red "Make America Great Again" caps. "If Ted doesn't win, your Second Amendment's going to be in trouble."
Over the course of a 76-minute stem-winder on the same day early voting began in Texas, Trump drew cheers for demands for a border wall, boos at mentions of O'Rourke and of the "caravan" of Central American migrants marching through Mexico toward the United States.
He hit O'Rourke for objecting to deportations. "He says they're people. They're people. They carve you up, but they're people" Trump said.
The crowd chanted "CNN sucks!" at the president's mention of the "fake news." "Don't worry, I don't like 'em either," Trump responded.
Trump event
It was a somewhat more caustic message than Cruz usually takes, but no surprise for anyone who invites Trump to stump at his side. This was in
