Cruz apologizes to New Yorkers for its ‘liberal politicians’

 Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday refused to back down on his “New York values” comment.

“Donald Trump, Andrew Cuomo, Bill de Blasio and Hillary Clinton all demanded an apology because apparently they’re unhappy people acknowledged they have embraced New York values,” Cruz said during a radio interview on “The Sean Hannity Show.” 

{mosads}“I’m happy to give an apology to the millions of New Yorkers abandoned by liberal politicians,” Cruz said. 

“I apologize to pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-Second Amendment New Yorkers who Cuomo brazenly told have no place in the state of New York,” he continued. “I apologize to all small business owners fleeing New York taxes.” 

Cruz also offered an apology to the “heroes of 9/11,” accusing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for siding with “looters and criminals” instead of law enforcement. 

The Texas senator has received major backlash for attacking the GOP front-runner as embodying “New York values.” New York media and lawmakers and even Democratic front-runner Clinton fired back at Cruz on Friday and slammed him for his comments.

At Thursday’s GOP debate in South Carolina, Cruz defended his remarks, saying that people in New York support “socially liberal” values. 

“There are many, many wonderful working men and women in the state of New York,” Cruz said Thursday evening. “But everyone understands that values in New York City are socially liberal,” he continued, adding that they support abortion rights and same-sex marriage. 

But the real estate mogul pushed back and invoked his personal experience living in New York during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York,” Trump said to applause on Thursday.

After the debate, Trump declared his “bromance” with Cruz over, calling the “New York values” comment “very insulting” and “inappropriate.” 

“I guess the bromance is over because he hit me, I didn’t hit him,” Trump told reporters after the debate. “I hit him after the fact. … There was no reason for him to go that aggressive.”

Cruz repeated on Friday that his comments came directly from Trump, alluding to a 1999 interview with NBC’s Tim Russert when the real estate mogul explained that he support abortion rights because he’s from the Empire State.

“I’ll note that that assessment didn’t come from me. It came from Donald J. Trump,” Cruz said. “And now he’s suddenly offended at his own words, his own characterization.”