'Duck Dynasty's' Willie and Phil Robertson Explain Split on Trump, Cruz Support
Reality television stars Willie and Phil Robertson explained why they're choosing to endorse different candidates, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, for the 2016 presidential election.
Appearing on Fox News' "Hannity" on Monday evening, the two stars of A&E's "Duck Dynasty" explained that although their family is split on their political endorsements, they feel they are still supporting similar Christian values.
Willie Robertson, CEO of the Duck Commander brand, is officially endorsing businessman Donald Trump, while his father, Phil Robertson, is endorsing Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
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"It could have been worse," Phil told Sean Hannity of his son's choice for Trump. "He could've said, 'Dad, I'm going with Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders' [...] Then we would have had some worries."
When explaining why he chose to endorse Cruz over Trump, Phil told Hannity that Cruz embodies the values of "moral and religious people."
"[…] the writer of our Constitution, James Madison, said this Constitution was written for a moral and religious people. It's wholly inadequate for any other. So I just looked at Cruz. He stood out in my mind as being a moral and religious man. I thought to myself, 'Good enough for me.' It's about that simple on my part," Phil, the patriarch of the extensive Robertson family, told host Sean Hannity.
Willie added to the Fox News host that he prefers Trump as a presidential candidate due to his business savvy.
"I think [Trump's] the man for the job. He's run a business and I think, you know, so many of these people come in. They've never run a business. They don't know what they're doing when they get there, and I just like somebody who's run a business, especially New York City. I think that's an advantage. I think you couldn't be that successful in New York City without having to be able to work with different kinds of people, and I think he's done that and I think he will actually work with other people," Willie said.
Willie Robertson previously voiced his support for Trump during the 2016 Outdoor Sportsman Awards in Las Vegas earlier this month.
"Mr. Trump is a real leader. He represents success and strength, two attributes our country needs. Like me, he is a successful businessman and family man and I endorse his candidacy for President of the United States," Robertson said in a press statement at the 2016 Outdoor Sportsman Awards in Las Vegas.
His father, Phil, previously told Fox News that he believes Cruz "fits the bill" to be president.
"My qualifications for president of the United States are rather narrow: Is he or she godly, does he or she love us, can he or she do the job, and finally would they kill a duck and put him in a pot and make him a good duck gumbo?" Robertson told Fox News.
