Sen. Ted Cruz slammed Donald Trump as “no different from politically correct leftist elites” in a response to Trump’s comments criticizing North Carolina’s new transgender bathroom law.

During an appearance in NBC’s Today Show Trump commented, “Leave it the way it is. North Carolina, what they’re going through with all the business that’s leaving, all of the strife — and this is on both sides. Leave it the way it is.” He continued, “There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic — I mean, the economic punishment that they’re taking.”

Cruz issued the following response to Trump’s comments:

Donald Trump is no different from politically correct leftist elites. Today, he joined them in calling for grown men to be allowed to use little girls’ public restrooms. As the dad of young daughters, I dread what this will mean for our daughters – and for our sisters and our wives. It is a reckless policy that will endanger our loved ones. Yet Donald stands up for this irresponsible policy while at the same time caving in on defending individual freedoms and religious liberty. He has succumbed to the Left’s agenda, which is to force Americans to leave God out of public life while paying lip service to false tolerance. This is not real tolerance. The Left wants to force its belief system onto Americans across the country and silence people of faith in the public square. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump is all too eager to join them. This simply confirms that the same man who favored partial-birth abortion and still supports public funding for Planned Parenthood will sacrifice principle on the altar of political correctness. Trump will not defeat political correctness. Today he bowed to it.

North Carolina since Gov. Pat McCrory signed the bill into law that prohibits “cities from allowing transgender individuals to use public bathrooms for the sex they identify as.” McCrory spokesman Ricky Diaz said of Trump’s comments, “Where the governor disagrees with Mr. Trump is that bathroom and shower facilities in our schools should be kept separate and special accommodations made when needed. It’s just common sense.”

Rep. Louie Gohmert weighed in on Trump’s comments from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday: “Who are they trying to protect in North Carolina? They’re trying to protect innocent kids that cannot protect themselves.” He continued, “Why condemn North Carolina when they’re just trying to protect the privacy of girls?”

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