This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Texas senator and Republican presidential campaigner Ted Cruz on Saturday told a Koch brothers-sponsored gathering he would have a busy agenda on his first day in the White House.

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Speaking to activists at the annual summit of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) in Columbus, Ohio, Cruz said if elected he would rescind “every single illegal and unconstitutional executive order” signed by President Barack Obama, begin investigating the women’s health organisation Planned Parenthood, “rip to shreds” the Iranian nuclear deal and order all federal agencies to end the religious persecution of Christians.

Cruz – who on Friday night in Iowa was publicly challenged on LGBT rights by the actress Ellen Paige – was the first of three GOP presidential contenders to speak on Saturday to a packed crowd.

Florida senator Marco Rubio and former Texas governor Rick Perry were the others. The former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal spoke on Friday.

Cruz peppered his address with jokes, scriptural references and jabs at Obama and the Democratic frontrunner for 2016 Hillary Clinton. He said he was the best choice among the 17-strong Republican field because he would always do what he said he was going to do.

Among Cruz’s jokes was a remark that he would like to see the Internal Revenue Service discontinued and its 90,000 employees used to guard the US-Mexico border.

Rubio, following Cruz, told the audience US economic growth was lagging because other countries were doing better at what the US set in motion but abandoned.

He said: “There are dozens of countries that have learned from our example … so the first thing we must do is become globally competitive again. That’s why we talk about tax reform.”

The crowd cheered often during his 20-minute speech, and laughed at his jokes, though not as fervently as they did during Cruz’s speech. Unlike Cruz, who appeared in shirtsleeves, Rubio, at 43 the youngest GOP candidate, wore a dark suit, white shirt and Republican-red tie.

The latest RealClearPolitics.com polls average puts Cruz at 7.3% support among likely Republican voters, enough for sixth place and a position in the next main debate. Rubio is a place ahead with 7.6% while Perry is 12th, with 1.3%.

Donald Trump, the clear leader in polls concerning the Republican primary field, was not invited to the AFP event, which is sponsored by the vastly influential and wealthy Kochs. AFP president Tim Phillips told Reuters the group would keep its “laser” focus on issues like tax reform, repealing the Affordable Care Act and fighting environmental regulations, no matter who was eventually elected.

“We talked to people who had records that for the most part were philosophically aligned with us,” Phillips said, adding that “we didn’t want a cattle call” while noting that Trump had appeared at past AFP events.

According to AFP, 3,600 people attended. Among them, support for and criticism of Trump was evident.

“It really frustrates me when he bashes other candidates – and they’re really cheap personal shots,” said Althea Cole, 31 and from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a county chairwoman for the campaign of the neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

Cole, however, had some admiration for Trump’s business success.

“The man’s a jackass, but you don’t get to be a billionaire by making friends,” she said.

A group of college students from a Republican club at Augustana College in South Dakota felt Trump was too much of a bully.

“He’s mocking it with his presence,” said Cara Beck, 20, as she stood with five male students between 19 and 21 years of age. Their picks for president were Bush, former Ohio governor John Kasich, Kentucky senator Rand Paul and Rubio.

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Among a group of young Tennesseans, Trump garnered mixed reactions – plaudits for his business acumen, and boos for the reality TV star’s showmanship.

“Both my parents love Donald Trump but I can’t stand him,” said Michael Stooksbury, 18, who liked Paul best. “He doesn’t have any experience, he’s just an entertainer.”

Thomas Parham, 29, said the US could benefit from Trump’s business background.

“I’d rather us be a financial empire than an empire of war,” he said. “That way we can take over country after country, territory after territory, without firing a single shot.”